1 



BETHANY C. E. 
READING COURSES 



Life and Teachings of Jesus 



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W4-8 wiixerr 



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LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. 

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^ap. Copyright No 

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UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 



The Bethany C. E. Hand-book Series : 

(J. Z. TYLER, General Editor.) 

CONSISTING OF A SERIES OF SMALL 
BOOKS ALONG THE LINES OF BIBLE 
STUDY, THE STUDY OF MISSIONS, AND 
THE STUDY OF THE HISTORY AND 
PURPOSES OF THE DISCIPLES OF CHRIST; 
DESIGNED ESPECIALLY FOR THEIR 
CHRISTIAN ENDEAVOR SOCIETIES, AND 
PREPARED UNDER THE APPROVAL OF 
THE GENERAL CHRISTIAN MISSIONARY 
CONVENTION. .\ ,\ .'. .\ .\ .*. 



FIRST SERIES: 

I. A Guide to Bible Study 

BY 

J. W. McGARVEY, 

President of the College of the Bible in 

Kentucky University. 

II. Hand-book Concerning' the Disciples 

BY 

B. B. TYLER, 

Author of the History of the Disciples of 

Christ in the American Church 

History Series. 

ill. Hand-book of Missions 

BY 

A. McLEAN, 

Corresponding vSecretary of the Foreign 

Christian Missionary Society. 



SECOND SERIES: 



I. Life and Teachings of Jesus 

BY 

H. L. WILLETT, 

Director of Bible Study in the Bethany 
C. E. Reading Courses. 

II. Sketches of Our Pioneers 

BY 

F. D. POWER, 

Director of Study Concerning the Disciples 
in the Bethany C. E. Reading Courses. 

III. Missionary Fields and Forces of the Disciples 

BY 

W. J. LHAMON, 

Director of Study of Missions in the Bethany 
C. E. Reading Courses. 



Hand-book Series for the 

Bethany C. E. Reading: Courses 



* 



Life and Teachings of Jesus. 



BY. 

Herbert L. Willett, 

Director of Bible Study in the Bethany 
C. E. Reading Courses. 



* 



Bethany C. E. Company 

798 Republic Street 
Cleveland, Ohio 



\ 






38259 

Copyright, 1898, 
By J. Z. TYLER. 

ONE COPY KEGEIVEft 




^^ ^ The W. M. Bayne Printing Co. 






Cleveland, Ohio. 



The National Convention of the Disciples 
of Christ, held in Springfield, Illinois, Octo- 
ber 16-23, 1896, adopted the following recom- 
mendations: 

"1. That this convention approve the idea of 
adding, within certain limits, the educational feature 
to the Christian Endeavor Societies among us. This 
added educational feature shall include helps for 
the systematic reading of the Bible, a selected course 
of reading concerning missions in general, and our 
own missions in particular, and thorough instruction 
as to the origin, the principles, and the history of our 
own movement for the restoration of New Testament 
Christianity. 

"2. That this convention approve of the purpose 
to provide a series of hand-books for our young peo- 
ple covering the fields not already satisfactorily cov- 
ered." 

In harmony with this action three courses 
of reading are being planned and a hand-book, 
introductory to each course, has been prepared. 
This little volume is the second hand-book in 
the study of the Bible. 



PREFATORY NOTE. 



No attempt has been made in this handbook to 
furnish a detailed chronology of the life of Jesus. 
The schemes prepared by students of the question 
are so numerous and conflicting that it seems pref- 
erable to avoid any attempt at precise dating, and 
permit some general hints to suffice. 

At the close of each chapter, in Part I, will be 
found the passages in the four Gospels, bearing on 
that period of Jesus' life. These citations, taken 
collectively, furnish a complete arrangement of the 
Gospels. In general the order adopted in the Har- 
mony of Stevens and Burton has been followed, but 
several changes have been made. Bach chapter of 
the book is also furnished with a list of questions 
which may be found helpful to the student. Both 
Scripture references and questions conform to the 
paragraph arrangement of the text. 

Suggestions regarding helpful literature on the 
subject will be found at the end of the book. 

H. L. W. 



CONTENTS. 



PART I. 

PAGE 

I. The Gospel Records ■. 9 

II. Birth and Early Life 16 

III. The Opening of Jesus' Ministry 25 

IV. The Period of Public Ministry and Success 29 

V. The Climax of Jesus' Ministry 44 

VI. The Week of Tragedy and Triumph. . . -. 57 

PART II. 

I. Characteristics of Jesus' Teaching 78 

II. Jesus' Teaching Regarding God 97 

III. Jesus' Teaching Regarding Himself 104 

IV. The Kingdom of God 117 

V. Jesus' Teaching Regarding Man 130 

VI. esus and Judaism 43 

VII. Jesus' Teaching about the Holy Spirit 152 

VIII. Tesus' Teaching Regarding the Future 158 



Not in soft speech is told the earthly story, 
Love of all Loves! that showed thee for an hour; 

Shame was thy kingdom, and reproach thy glory, 
Death thine eternity, the Cross thy power. 

Yea, through life, death, through sorrow and through sinning 

He shall suffice me, for he hath sufficed: 
Christ is the end, for Christ was the beginning ; 

Christ the beginning, for the end is Christ. 

F. W. H, Myers,-" St. Paul." 



PART L 

THE LIFE OF JESUS. 



CHAPTER I. 

THE GOSPEL RECORDS. 

i. The sources for the study of the life of 
Jesus are found in the books of the New Testa- 
ment, especially the four Gospels. These 
books were not written immediately after the 
close of Jesus' earthly ministry, but as occa- 
sion demanded during the second half of the 
first century. The story of our Savior's life 
was familiar to his disciples, and was passed 
on from group to group as the churches grew. 
Later on, as the need of writings was felt, 
parts of this narrative were written down, and 
have come to us in the various books of the 
New Testament. 

2. The body of writings which first took 
form consisted of the letters of apostles to 
churches. The epistles came into being, for 
the most part, before the Gospels, because they 
dealt with the problems of Christian living 



10 LIFE AND TEACHINGS OF JESUS. 

and the welfare of the church. To these 
earliest Christians the story of Jesus* life was 
already familiar in the oral form. The refer- 
ences to out L,ord in the epistles, especially 
those of Paul, are, therefore, the earliest writ- 
ten sources for the study. The epistles of 
Paul, which appeared from 52 to 66, A. D., 
declare that Jesus was the first-born of creation 
(Col. i: 15) and in the form of God (Phil, 
ii: 6) ; that as such he was the creator of all 
things (Col. i: 16); that he took the form of 
humanity, even of a servant (Phil, ii: 7), was 
manifested in the flesh (I Tim. iii: 16), born 
of a human mother, of Jewish parentage 
(Gal. iv: 4) and of the line of David (Rom. 
i: 3; II Tim. ii: 8); that this human life which 
he took was the expression of the divine life 
(Col. i: 19; ii: 9), the image of God (II Cor. 
iv: 4; Col. i: 15); that he came into the world 
to save sinners (I Tim. i: 15; ii: 6), was sinless 
(II Cor. v: 21), unselfish (Rom. xv: 3), meek 
and gentle (II Cor. x: 1), and spent his life, in 
the ministry of salvation (II Cor. i: 5; Gal. 
i: 4; Eph. v: 2); that he instituted the me- 
morial supper (I Cor. xi: 23-25); declared 
openly his mission before Pontius Pilate, (I 
Tim. vi: 13), suffered death on the cross (Rom. 
v: 6-1 1 ; vi: 6-1 1; I Cor. xv: 3; II Cor. iv: 10; 



THE GOSPEL RECORDS. 11 

Gal, ii: 20-21; iii: 13-14; Phil, ii: 8), at the 
hands of the Jews (I Thess. ii: 15), was buried 
(I Cor. xv : 4), went down into the underworld 
(Eph. iv: 9), but rose from the dead on the 
third day (Rom. i: 4; vi: 4; viii: 11, 34; x: 
9; xiv: 9; I Cor. xv: 4, 20; II Cor. iv: 14; Gal. 
i: 1; Eph. i: 20; Col. ii: 12; I Thess. i: 10), 
appearing to various disciples (I Cor. xv: 5), 
and by his resurrection abolishing death (II 
Tim. i: 10); and lastly that he ascended to 
heaven (Eph. iv: 10; I Tim. iii: 16), where he 
now remains (Eph. vi: 9; Phil, ii: 10) as the 
preeminent Lord (Phil, ii: 11), whence he may 
be expected again (Phil, iii: 20, 21; I Thess. 
i: 10; iii: 13; iv: 3-18; II Thess. i: 7, 8) as 
judge of living and dead (II Tim. iv: 1). 
If the Gospels had never been written we 
would still have from Paul's hand a body of 
evidence of the highest value regarding the 
life and character of our L,ord. 

3. The earliest of the Gospels to be put 
into written form was probably Mark. Chris- 
tian tradition and the book itself give evidence 
that it embodied Peter's teaching concern- 
ing the life of Jesus. It is the briefest of 
the Gospels; is characterized by vividness, as 
the story of an eyewitness; emphasizes the 
power and divinity of Jesus ; preserves more 



12 LIPE AND TEACHINGS OF JESUS. 

nearly than the other Gospels the true order 
of events in our Savior's life; was probably 
prepared for circulation in Gentile communi- 
ties, especially among the Romans; and was 
seemingly, either in its written form, or more 
probably while still an oral narrative as given 
by Peter, the basis of the Gospels of Matthew 
and L,uke, whose dependence upon it is shown 
not alone in the order of events, but in verbal 
structure as well. It probably appeared about 
66-08, A. D. 

4. The first Gospel is connected by early 
Christian belief with the tax-collector named 
Levi, who was known among the disciples by 
the name Matthew. In addition to the ma- 
terial furnished by Mark, which it embodies 
almost in its entirety, Matthew gives much of 
the teaching and preaching of Jesus omitted 
by Mark. In this Gospel are preserved the 
sermon on the mount, the instructions to the 
disciples when sent forth by Jesus for work in 
Palestine, and the groups of parables. These 
teachings are grouped together into bodies or 
discourses, to show the character of Jesus' 
work as a teacher and preacher. The great 
theme of this Gospel is the kingdom of 
heaven, and it was particularly addressed to 
the Jewish people to prove that Jesus was their 



THE GOSPEL RECORDS. 13 

expected Messiah. It quotes largely from the 
Old Testament. Its date was probably about 
70, A. D. 

5. To a converted Gentile we owe the 
third Gospel. Luke was a friend of the apos- 
tle Paul, and his companion at various times 
during his miniscry, especially during his last 
journey to Jerusalem, including the imprison- 
ment at Caesarea. On the basis of the Petrine 
narrative preserved by Mark, and with con- 
siderable portions of the teachings of Jesus 
also used by Matthew, Luke prepared a record 
of the life of Jesus which adds still other fea- 
tures probably gathered by him from the early 
disciples while he was in Palestine. (Lu. 1:1-4.) 
Almost the entire section dealing with Jesus' 
work and teachings in Perea (Lu. ix : 51- 
xviii : 14) is preserved by Luke alone. The Gos- 
pel, like his later narrative of the Acts, was 
dedicated to a certain Theophilus, probably like 
himself a gentile Christian. Luke emphasizes 
the world-wide character of Jesus' work; his 
sympathy with all classes ; his works of kind- 
ness and his mission as a Savior. The book 
bears the impress of Paul's thought upon the 
writer. It was probably issued somewhat later 
than Matthew and Mark. 

6. These three Gospels, Matthew, Mark 



14 LIFE AND TEACHINGS OF JESUS. 

and Luke, closely resemble each other in many 
features. They relate the story of Jesus' life 
in much the same manner, following the same 
general order of events, dealing almost entirely 
with the ministry in Galilee until the final 
weeks of Jesus' life, and giving what might be 
called an easy and running narrative of his 
movements. From their recital it would be 
impossible to conclude that more than one year 
was spent by Jesus in his public work. Because 
of these features common to the three works 
they have generally been called the ct Synoptic 
Gospels," i.e., those presenting similar aspects 
of the life of our Lord, as differing in point of 
view from the fourth Gospel. 

7. The Gospel of John does not seek to 
tell the story of Jesus, taking for granted a 
knowledge of the most important of its facts 
on the part of the Christian community. The 
date at which it was written, late in the first 
century, would guarantee a fair degree of gen- 
eral familiarity with the synoptic Gospels. 
John, who only alludes to himself as u the 
disciple whom Jesus loved," or "that dis» 
ciple, ,> wrote for the purpose of impressing 
the spiritual significance of the life of Christ, 
not to tell again the story. He adds many 
pew particulars and even repeats some events 



THE GOSPEL RECORDS. 15 

already well known, but seemingly only to 
connect them with important lessons regarding 
the purposes of Jesus. The Gospel was written 
for the church. It is the Gospel of the heart of 
Christ; of spiritual insight and power. (Jn. i : 
1-18.) It throws light on the early Judean min- 
istry of our Lord, and records several of his visits 
to Jerusalem to attend the Jewish feasts, thereby 
giving important evidence concerning the 
length of his ministry. John has given us the 
meditative, retrospective and argumentative 
Gospel, the final and finished statement of the 
nature and purposes of Jesus, and, together 
with his first epistle, the closing word of the 
New Testament. 



Review: i. What are the sources for a study 
of the life of Jesus ? When and in what form did the 
Gospels come into being? 2. What part of the New 
Testament was first written? Whose epistles give 
us the earliest statements regarding the life of Je^us? 
What phases of his life do they set forth? 3. Which 
of the Gospels was probably the first to take form ? 
To whose teaching is it probably ascribed? In what 
communities was it intended to circulate? What are 
its characteristics and probable date ? 4. What is the 
relation of the Gospel of Matthew to Mark? What 
features are prominent in this Gospel ? What was its 
date? 5. How was Luke related to the early church ? 
What portion of Jesus' ministry is narrated only by 



16 LIFE AND TEACHINGS OF JESUS. 



Luke ? What are the characteristics of this Gospel I 
6. How are the first three Gospels related? What is 
the meaning of the word " synoptic ?" 7. How is 
the fourth Gospel different from the others ? What 
was the purpose of this Gospel and what are its 
characteristics ? 



CHAPTER II. 

BIRTH AND EARLY LIFE. 

i. The life of Jesus is the most significant 
fact of history. No student of the world's life 
or literature can evade his personality. He is 
to be reckoned with as the most notable figure 
of the ages. The literature which deals with 
his life and mission is a constantly increasing 
volume. His teachings and spirit are the 
moulding influences in the lives of a large and 
rapidly increasing proportion of the world's 
inhabitants. Even followers of other religious 
teachers are eager to claim for their masters 
the qualities that were in him, or to account 
for his increasing supremacy over the minds 
of seekers after God. Never was the search- 
light of critical study so turned upon a life as 
upon his. Never were the results so triumph- 
ant and convincing. The only explanation of 



BIRTH AND EARLY LIFE. 17 

this life is that long ago presented by the 
Gospels, " Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of 
God." To enter the atmosphere of such a 
life is an intellectual and spiritual inspiration. 
To study the life of Christ is an act of worship. 
2. The epoch at which Jesus appeared 
was timely. The world had been prepared for 
this event, both by the attempts and failures 
of the wisest minds to find God by human wis- 
dom, and by the providential discipline of the 
Jewish people through a line of prophets who 
made ready for the appearance of our Lord. 
The Roman Empire was supreme in the poli- 
tics of the world. Universal peace prevailed. 
The influence of the Greek language and ideas 
was widely felt, as the result of Alexander's 
wars. The Jewish people were living under 
the Roman government, both in Palestine and 
many other parts of the world, whither captivity, 
war, or trade had taken them. Palestine itself, 
a small country at the eastern end of the Med- 
iterranean Sea, was nominally governed by a 
race of semi-Jewish kings, the Herods, but 
their position was but complimentary, the real 
power remaining in the hands of Roman of- 
ficials resident in the land. Palestine was 
divided into four districts; Judeaon the south, 
Samaria in the center, and Galilee to the north 



18 LIFE AND TEACHINGS OF JESUS. 

on the west side of the river Jordan; while 
Perea was on the east of the river. Of these 
districts all were Jewish save Samaria, whose 
people were of a mixed race, and not recog- 
nized as equals by the Jews. Jerusalem the 
ancient capital, and the center of the edu- 
cational and religious life, was the site of the 
Temple. Galilee was thickly inhabited, espe- 
cially on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, where 
several prosperous towns were situated. 

3. The Jewish people at this period were 
less a nation than a church. Since the exile 
in Babylon, more than five hundred years be- 
fore, they had enjoyed but little national inde- 
pendence, living successively under Persian, 
Greek, Syrian and Roman rule. As a result 
the life of the people became more and more 
centered in the law and the temple ; religion 
lost the inspiration of the great prophetic 
teachings and tended to become external 
and formal, the true and spontaneous worship 
of Jehovah being replaced to a large extent by 
reverence for the Book and the Building. 
The hope of the Messiah, which in the utter- 
ances of the great prophets had taken the 
form of a reign of righteousness, a new social 
order whose central figure would be the divine 
person of the Servant of Jehovah, the Messiah, 



BIRTH AND EARLY LIFE. 19 

became in the thought of pre-Christian Juda- 
ism the expectation of a military hero, who 
should lead the armies of Israel to the de- 
struction of other nations in battle, and then 
usher in the period of political and social su- 
premacy for the faithful. 

4. Of the various classes of people into 
which the Jews of this period were divided, 
the Pharisees were the most influential. They 
were conservatives in religion, emphasizing 
the observance of the rules of conduct pre- 
scribed in the oral law, which had been elab- 
orated from its Mosaic basis to such an extent 
that its commands covered nearly every phase 
of individual and social life. The Pharisees 
had great influence with the common people, 
because of their reputation for piety. The 
scribes, who were for the most part members 
of the Pharisaic party, were the teachers of 
the law, and are in the New Testament usu- 
ally classed with the Pharisees as adherents of 
the system of external and ceremonial worship. 
The Sadducees were less a religious than a polit- 
ical organization, though the highest religious 
offices in the priesthood were held by members 
of the order. They opposed the trad tional 
beliefs of the Pharisees, denying many of the 
doctrines held by them, based upon scribal 



20 LIFE AND TEACHINGS OF JESUS. 

teachings. The Sadducees were less numerous 
than their rivals, but wealthier and held a 
place of greater social and political importance, 
controlling, among other things, the profitable 
temple franchises. The Essenes were a small 
body of men dwelling for the most part in 
communities near the Dead Sea, living lives of 
great ceremonial purity, but not possessing 
great influence over the thought of the people. 
The Herodians were the partisans of the house 
of the Herods. They were mostly of the 
Sadducean type. Woman's place in the social 
scale was not high. She was less esteemed 
than in the days of Israel's earlier prestige as 
a nation. The common people were held in 
disesteem by the influential. They represented 
the commercial, agricultural and artisan classes. 
On the lowest level of the social scale were the 
publicans or tax-collectors, whose business, 
reflecting as it did too frequently the harsh 
methods of Roman provincial administration, 
caused them to be hated and despised as un- 
patriotic, dishonest and cruel. 

5 . The preparations for the coming of Jesus 
were in harmony with the simplicity and beauty 
of his life. To a maiden named Mary, appar- 
ently of the priestly family of Aaron, there was 
sent the message that she should become, 



BIRTH AND EARLY LIFE. 21 

miraculously, the mother of the expected Mes- 
siah. She was already betrothed to Joseph 
of the house of David, who received a reassur- 
ing message regarding the holy child which 
was to be born, whose genealogy was reckoned 
in accordance with the custom of the times 
through the foster father as from David, rather 
than from Aaron, the ancestor of Mary. Joseph 
and Mary were living in Nazareth, a city of 
Galilee; but Joseph's clan regarded Bethlehem 
in Judea, the ancient home of David, as their 
real place of nativity. When, therefore, about 
this time an imperial edict required the people 
to register for tax-collection, Joseph availed 
himself of his right and taking Mary made his 
way to Bethlehem. Here in the stable of the 
inn, where lack of other accommodations com- 
pelled them to seek shelter, Jesus was born. 
No babe ever had less auspicious birth, as 
those must have thought who performed the 
simple offices of kindness for the strangers; 
and yet shepherds, astonished by the glowing 
heavens and the angelic message, came to see 
the child; wise men from distant lands saw 
his star and came to worship; a guilty king 
trembled when he heard the story of the birth, 
and the Christian world looks back to that 



%% LIFE AND TEACHINGS OF JESUS. 

holy night and that manger cradle with inex- 
pressible rejoicing. 

6. On the eighth day the babe was cir- 
cumcised and named according to the custom 
of his people. The name Jesus, "Savior," 
had been designated already. Soon after Jesus 
was presented in the temple and the simple 
offerings of the poor were made as prescribed 
in such cases. Here the purer Messianic 
hope, as cherished by at least a few of the 
people, was expressed by Simeon and Anna, 
who rejoiced at the coming of Jesus as the 
greatest event of their lives. Soon after, the 
story of the star, told by the magi from the 
east, alarmed Herod, the unscrupulous and 
superstitious king, from whose rage the child 
was saved by the departure of Joseph into 
Egypt, taking Mary and the babe. A return 
to Bethlehem after the death of Herod was 
deemed unwise, as another Herod was on the 
throne, and the family returned to its older 
home in Nazareth. 

7. Here Jesus grew to manhood. Joseph 
was a carpenter and he learned that trade. 
His education was confined to the simple ele- 
ments taught to Jewish children in the syna- 
gogue schools, at that period consisting chiefly 
of lessons from the Hebrew Scriptures, the 



BIRTH AND EARLY LIFE. 23 

Old Testament. Jesus spoke the Aramaic 
used by the common people, and understood 
Hebrew and probably Greek. The influence 
of Mary over the growing child must have 
been profound. The home was pervaded with 
the atmosphere of reverence for God and his 
word. There were several other children in 
the household; four brothers are mentioned, 
James, Joseph, Simon and Judas, as well as 
sisters (Matt, xiii: 55, 56; Mark vi: 3.) But 
during these years of quiet growth Jesus must 
have been brooding the problems of his future 
life, and gaining some hints of the great min- 
istry to which he was chosen. At the age of 
twelve he went with his parents, perhaps for 
the first time, to Jerusalem at the feast season. 
Here the questions which neither his mother 
nor the master of the synagogue could answer, 
might be settled by the great teachers in the 
school at the temple. It was there that he 
was found after hours of anxious search. He 
was an eager learner and his interest and 
knowledge were the astonishment of all. His 
words to his mother that he must be about his 
Father's work reveal the beginnings of the 
Messianic consciousness which time ripened, 
and the divine call brought to open manifes- 
tation. So the years at Nazareth were full of 



24 LIFE AND TEACHINGS OF JESUS. 

silent growth. Just as other men came to 
maturity Jesus grew. His development was 
normal, physically, intellectually, socially, 
spiritually (L,u. ii: 40, 52). He waited in 
the silence of the home at Nazareth, probably 
bearing the responsibility of the family life 
after Joseph* s death, who is not mentioned 
further. In the serenity of a soul that could 
wait the moment of full preparation, and 
would not hasten unduly the divine purpose 
of his life under any stress of eagerness, Jesus 
brought himself under the discipline of a 
severe self-mastery, spending thirty years ma- 
turing for a ministry, the briefest, yet the most 
notable in history. 

5. Preface to John's Gospel, Jn. 1: 1-18. Preface to 
Luke's Gospel, Lu. 1:1-4. The annunciation, Lu. 1:26-38. 
Mt. 1: 18-25. Mary's song, Lu. 1:39-56. The birth of Jesus, 
Lu. 2:1-7. The angels ami the shepherds, Lu. 2:8-20. The 
genealogies, Mt. 1 : 1-17. Lu. 3 : 23 38. 

6. The circumcision, l,u. 2: 21. The presentation, Lu. 2: 
22 39. The Magi: Mt. 2: 1-12. The flight and the return, Mt. 
2:13-23. 

7. Jesus' childhood, Lu. 2: 40. Jesus in Jerusalem, Lu. 2: 
41-50. Silent years at Nazareth, Lu. 2 : 51, 52. 



Review: i. What is the place of Jesus in his- 
tory? How does he compare with other religious 
teachers ? What is the only explanation of his life ? 
What should be the result of its study? 2. Why was 
the time ripe for the coming of Jesus ? What three 
national influences met at this period? What was 
the condition of Palestine? 3. What were the lead- 



THE OPENING OF JESUS' MINISTRY. 25 

ing factors in Jewish life in Jesus' day ? What kind 
of a Messiah was expected? 4. What were the 
principal parties among the Jews, and what were the 
leading ideas of each ? How were women regarded ? 
Who were the publicans ? 5. Who was the mother 
of Jesus ? What was the ancestry of Mary and Joseph ? 
Where did they live ? What message came to them ? 
What took them to Bethlehem ? What were the cir- 
cumstances of Jesus' birth ? 6. Why was the name 
Jesus given the child ? When was he circumcised ? 
What occurred when Mary presented him at the 
temple? What attempt did Herod make to destroy 
him, and why? Where was he taken? 7. Where 
did the family live ? How was Jesus educated ? What 
was his trade ? Who were the other members of the 
family? What occurred when Jesus was twelve? 
How long did he live in Nazareth ? 



CHAPTER III. 

THE OPENING OF JESUS* MINISTRY. 

i. About the time Jesus reached the age 
of thirty the people of Palestine were startled 
by the preaching of a prophet named John, 
who because of his custom of immersing his 
converts in water was called the Baptist or 
baptizer. He was of priestly family, his mother 
being a relative of Mary, the mother of Jesus. 
He dressed in the rude fashion of the desert 



26 LIFE AtfD TEACHINGS OF JESTJil. 

and avoided the luxuries of life. He soon 
gathered a band of disciples about him, and 
his preaching attracted great crowds of people 
from all parts of the country. The popular 
mind was full of the expectation of a Messiah 
or deliverer, but when John was asked if he 
was the one for whom all were looking, he 
disclaimed the honor and said he was only a 
voice preparing for one greater than himself 
who was about to appear. His preaching was 
an exhortation to all to give up evil practices 
that they might be ready for the kingdom of 
heaven which he said was near. This king- 
dom was not a new political organization, as 
so many thought, but the reign of righteous- 
ness among men, and those who were willing 
to conform their lives to the requirements of 
the new social order, John baptized as a token 
of their preparation for the companionship of 
the Messiah when his work should begin. 
John gave his followers practical directions as 
to their conduct, showing them how they could 
avoid the common sins, and cultivate the 
needed virtues. He rebuked unsparingly the 
formal religion of the times, and told the re- 
ligious leaders that their descent from Abra- 
ham, of which they were very proud, had no 
value unless they possessed the qualities which 



THE OPENING OF JESUS ' MINISTRY. 27 

made Abraham pleasing to God. John's 
preaching continued for several months, and 
produced a profound though not a permanent 
impression. 

2. During this period Jesus came from 
Galilee to the Jordan where John was preach- 
ing. The time had come at last for him to be- 
gin his work. The years of quiet preparation 
were over. But he went as any other man 
might have gone to listen to John. Every 
movement for righteousness was of interest to 
him. He had no consciousness of sin as did 
the others to whom John spoke, and this must 
have been to him one of the signs of his divine 
nature and calling. But he desired to ally 
himself with every good work, and so he pre- 
sented himself one day among those who asked 
baptism at John's hands. As he came up out 
of the water the Spirit of God came upon him 
and the divine voice proclaimed his sonship. 
He had gone forward in the pathway of obedi- 
ence just as any other Jew might have done; 
but this act of self- dedication to the purposes 
of the kingdom of God became the occasion of 
his being publicly designated as the divinely 
anointed Son of God, and the beginning of his 
public ministry. He was filled with the Spirit 
of God. His life was henceforth consecrated 



28 LIFE AND TEACHINGS OF JESUS. 

to the purposes of the kingdom he had come to 
bring in its fulness. 

3. But the ministry of Jesus was a most 
difficult and dangerous task. He had been 
growing into a realization of its meaning and 
obligations, and he came to its beginnings pre- 
pared; and yet the formal announcement of 
his character and mission filled him with a 
profound sense of responsibility. He was the 
Son of God, but his task must be wrought out 
under human conditions, and, largely, under 
human limitations. He therefore fled away 
into solitude, to be alone with himself and the 
Father while he matured his plans for the min- 
istry on which he had thus entered. Forty 
days of vast importance were those he spent in 
the desert. Then came temptation in the 
moment when nature was exhausted with the 
long vigil and fast. It is in such moments 
that the battle against a holy purpose may 
often be won. The temptations were pressed 
upon him one after another till any nature but 
one fortified by the highest purposes would 
have fallen. No mere seductions to the satis- 
faction of hunger, of pride, of ambition, were 
these, but the most searching appeals that 
could be made to a high and holy soul; temp- 
tations to doubt his own nature, to test his 



PUBLIC MINISTRY AND SUCCESS. 29 

power, to prove the Father's love for him, to 
compromise with the powers of church and 
state, to take the easier path to success. In the 
strength of his divine purpose and the word of 
God, Jesus put from him every solicitation and 
w r on that first decisive victory which w r as the 
prophecy and assurance of all later triumphs. 

1. Birth of John promised, Lu. 1 : 5-25. Birth of John the 
Baptist, Lu. 1 : 57-80. Ministry of John the Baptist, Mt. 3: 1- 
12; Mk. 1:1-8; Lu. 3:1-18. 

2. Baptism of Jesus, Mt. 3: 13-17; Mk. 1: 9-11; Lu. 3: 21, 22. 

3. Temptation of Jesus, Mt. 4: 1-11; Mk. 1: 12, 13; Lu. 4: 
1-13. 



Review: i. Who was John the Baptist ? What 
did he do ? What did he say of himself? Why did 
he baptize? 2. Why did Jesus desire to be baptized? 
What occurred at his baptism ? Did Jesus under- 
stand his nature and mission before his baptism? 
3. Where did Jesus go after his baptism? For what 
purpose ? How long was he there ? How was Jesus 
tempted ? How was the victory won ? 



CHAPTER IV. 

THE PERIOD OF PUBLIC MINISTRY 
AND SUCCESS. 

i . John's narrative of the work of Jesus 
opens with the events of the week which fol- 



30 LIFE AND TEACHINGS OF JESUS. 

lowed the temptation. John the Baptist ex- 
plained to a deputation of priests and Levites 
from Jerusalem the preparatory and partial 
character of his own mission, and the great- 
ness of the one who had already appeared in 
their midst. On the following day, as Jesus 
returned from the desert John pointed him out 
as the Lamb of God. Such words as these 
aroused the interest of some of John's dis-* 
ciples, who presently became followers of 
Jesus; others were attracted by Jesus' con- 
versation, or directly invited to follow him. 
Of this earliest group of associates were An- 
drew, Peter, Philip, Nathaniel (or Bartholo- 
mew) and probably John. With this small 
company of friends Jesus returned to his home 
in Galilee where at the end of the week he at- 
tended a wedding in Cana, not far from Naza- 
reth, and gave a sign of his power by miracul- 
ously providing wine when the supply was 
exhausted. This, his first miracle, still further 
confirmed the faith of his friends in him as 
the expected Jewish Messiah. He then, in 
company with his mother and brothers made 
a visit among friends in Capernaum, taking his 
little circle of disciples with him. 

2. The public ministry of Jesus opened in 
Judea. This was the most important section 



PUBLIC MINISTRY AND SUCCESS. 31 

of the country, for it contained the capital, 
Jerusalem, where at the temple the chief ioter- 
est of the nation was centered. If the ruling 
classes could be won to the acceptance of his 
claims the whole nation would follow. This 
would not have changed the character of the 
redemptive work of Jesus, but it would have 
made an immense difference in the rapidity 
with which the Gospel might have been given 
to the world. Leaving Galilee, therefore, he 
returned to the south and attended the Pass- 
over, performing miracles which impressed 
many who saw them. Among these was a 
Pharisee named Nicodemus, holding an im- 
portant position, who sought an interview 
with Jesus and to whom was explained the 
character of the kingdom of God asspirrual, 
not political ; to be entered only by spiritual 
birth. During this period Jesus extended his 
preaching through Judea, carrying on appar- 
ently the same work as that in which John the 
Baptist was engaged in the Jordan district and 
baptizing great numbers of people by the 
hands of his disciples. The report of this 
successful work came at length to John's fol- 
lowers and filled them with concern lest the 
new preacher should quite eclipse their master 
in popularity. But John assured them that 



32 LIFE AND TEACHINGS OF JESUS. 

this was exactly as it should be. He was to 
decrease; his work was only introductory. 
Jesus was greater than he and would take his 
place. John had now been preaching for many 
months, and by his plainness of speech had in- 
curred the hatred of Herodias, the wife of 
Herod Antipas, the son of Herod the Great. 
Herod had persuaded her to abandon her first 
husband, his own brother Philip, in order to 
marry him. John did not hesitate to denounce 
this act, and as a result was arrested by the 
order of Herod and shut up in the tower of 
Machaerus, east of the Jordan. This event 
abruptly closed his ministry, though it did not 
deprive him of the companionship of his dis- 
ciples who had access to him in prison. 

3 . As soon as he heard of John ' s imprison- 
ment, Jesus closed his work in Judea and re- 
tired into Galilee. He was not yet ready to 
come into conflict either with the court of 
Herod or with the religious leaders in Jeru- 
salem. His preaching had been most success- 
ful and the people were enthusiastic in their 
admiration of him. But the Pharisees had 
already noticed that he was baptizing more 
people than John, and the latter's removal 
from active work would cause them to turn 
their whole attention to Jesus, which he knew 



PUBLIC MINISTRY AND SUCCESS. 33 

would bring on their opposition before he was 
ready. He, therefore, left Judea ; but instead 
of taking the usual route through Perea, on 
the east of the Jordan, which the Jews always 
followed in order to avoid passing through the 
hated province of Samaria, he took the road 
directly north, and at Jacob's well near Sychar, 
met a woman of Samaria to whom he revealed 
himself as the Messiah, for the first time in 
his ministry. He remained at that place two 
days and many were convinced that he was 
the expected one. 

4. After leaving Samaria he proceeded 
northward into Galilee, which was the scene 
of the larger portion of his ministry. Among 
the most notable features of the life of Jesus 
was his choice of a group of men to be his 
friends and pupils. He knew that he would 
be unable to go outside of his own country to 
any considerable extent. He also knew that 
his life would be short. It was necessary, 
therefore, that he should commit his message 
to others to carry it out to wider territories, 
and to continue its propagation after his de- 
parture. The men whom he chose to do this 
work were selected with great care. They 
were the best men he could find. The pro- 
cess of selection was slow. In Judea Jesus 



34 LIFE AND TEACHINGS OF JESUS. 

had asked a few to accompany him northward. 
They followed him as companions and friends. 
Their call was not formal. The relations they 
sustained to him gave him opportunity to ob- 
serve their characteristics. This circle of casual 
disciples was quite large. Gradually Jesus 
made a somewhat more formal selection of a 
smaller body of men, which was known later 
as the seventy. At last, when sufficient time 
had elapsed to form a true estimate of the ma- 
terials about him, Jesus chose twelve men from 
among the disciples, whom he designated as 
his apostles or messengers, and whose training 
occupied a large part of his time. Their num- 
ber probably hinted at the ideal unity of Israel 
with its twelve tribes. These men were not 
educated in the schools at Jerusalem, but they 
were intelligent, and probably most of them 
were possessed of some literary training be- 
yond the average of the artisan or merchant 
classes. They were not so fixed in their reli- 
gious ideas but that Jesus could teach them. In 
this they were much more favorable material 
for his training than were the scribes and 
Pharisees, who on other grounds might seem 
the very ones whom Jesus would seek for dis- 
ciples. The twelve were taught by Jesus. 
The group was virtually a travelling school 



PUBLIC MINISTRY AND SUCCESS. 35 

with Jesus as a teacher. Preaching, teaching 
and miracles were primarily for their sake. 
Jesus was instructing them regarding his king- 
dom whose missionaries they were to be, and 
was preparing them to go forth in his spirit, 
and carry on the work after he should leave 
them. 

5. The first method which Jesus employed 
was preaching. He had begun this in Judea, 
bearing to the people the message which John 
had uttered, that the kingdom of heaven was 
at hand, and preparing men by the baptism 
of repentance to receive it. On his departure 
to Galilee he continued this preaching, widen- 
ing its scope to include fuller explanations of 
the nature of the kingdom, and the gospel 
which was the embodiment of the good tidings 
regarding it. His residence was at first at 
Nazareth, where the family lived. Here he 
went one Sabbath to the synagogue, the Jewish 
place of worship, as had been his custom. 
When opportunity was given him to speak 
he applied to himself the scripture lesson of 
the day. This assumption of Messianic dig- 
nity by a young man who had been reared in 
their midst astonished and angered the Naza- 
renes so that they attempted to kill him. 
Leaving Nazareth, therefore, Jesus made Caper- 



36 LIFE AND TEACHINGS OF JESUS. 

naum, near the Sea of Galilee, his future home; 
and from this as a center made three extensive 
tours through the province, preaching in the 
synagogues, received everywhere with the 
greatest enthusiasm, and attracting crowds 
from distant places. The first of these journeys 
was made before the choice of the twelve, 
though they were probably all in the company 
that followed him. On the subsequent tours 
the twelve were with him constantly, and after 
the close of the third circuit of Galilee, he sent 
them out by twos to carry the message to com- 
munities which he could not reach, and to 
give them experience in the work which was 
soon to be left wholly in their hands. On 
these journeys, as well as at other times, Jesus 
and the disciples received the hospitality and 
gifts of friends, some of whom were attached 
to the Master because of blessings of health or 
happiness which he had brought into their 
lives. One of the disciples, Judas, had charge 
of the fund thus supplied, and even out of this 
scanty store frequent distribution was made to 
the poor. 

6. Jesus was also a teacher. As a preacher 
he sought to persuade men to ally themselves 
with the cause of righteousness. As a teacher 
he explained the nature of this cause. His 



PUBLIC MINISTRY AND SUCCESS. 37 

name for it was the kingdom of heaven or of 
God, and nearly all his teachings have to do 
with this theme in some manner. Jesus' teach- 
ings took a great variety of forms. Conversa- 
tions were held with individuals wherever they 
were met. Sometimes such conversations 
grew into sermons, or more formal statements, 
as the few to whom he began to speak were 
joined by others, and at last a great crowd 
stood listening. Sometimes the Gospels give 
us some of the teachings of Jesus in connection 
with the incidents which called them forth; 
at other times they gather a great variety of 
sayings into one group or mass, in order to 
give a better view of our Lord's teachings as a 
whole. This is particularly the method of 
Matthew. Jesus used great numbers of illus- 
trations. People often fail to understand ab- 
stract statements of truth, when they will catch 
the idea by means of a story. So he used many 
figures taken from everyday life, and told 
many stories or parables to explain his mean- 
ing. Sometimes also the parables were in- 
tended to conceal his meaning, especially after 
he began to be watched by the scribes, and did 
not desire to speak too plainly of his purposes. 
In these cases he explained to his disciples the 
meaning of what he had said. Indeed the dis- 



38 LIFE AND TEACHINGS OF JEStT&. 

ciples were the pupils in his school, and his 
teachings were chiefly for their instruction. 
The people learned something, but their op- 
portunities to hear him were not sufficient to 
permit them to understand fully. He went 
from place to place, but the disciples were al- 
ways with him. The people forgot much of 
what he said, but the twelve were impressed 
too deeply to forget wholly, and it was their 
Master's latest promise that the divine Spirit 
should bring to their remembrance the things 
he had said to them. Jesus discussed nearly 
every phase of life. He spoke of the nature 
of the kingdom, the difference between formal 
and hearty service, the insufficiency of the Old 
Testament teachings, the necessity of chang- 
ing the disposition and affections, not merely 
the habits, and many other things which lay 
at the foundation of the new society he was 
bringing into being. Some of these themes 
will be considered later. 

7. Jesus performed miracles. These were 
acts of power which revealed a mastery of 
nature and of life such as no other being has 
ever possessed. Miraculous works had been 
accomplished by prophets before the days of 
Jesus, but never with the same quiet suprem- 
acy nor in such variety. Their first value was 



HJBLIC MINISTRY AND SUCCESS. 39 

shown in the attention they attracted. They 
drew the people to listen to the teachings of 
Jesus. They w T ere also the evidences of his 
divine character and the fruits of his mission. 
They not only displayed his power, but by 
their healing and helping nature disclosed the 
love, tenderness, and beneficence of God as ex- 
pressed in Jesus. They were works of blessing, 
not merely of display. They set forth the heart 
of the Gospel, and exhibited in a moment of 
time those life-giving powers which are resident 
in the true Christian society, and which mani- 
fest themselves in the regular ministries of 
healing and help, the care of the sick and poor, 
the upbuilding of humanity, of which the Gos- 
pel has evermore been the inspiration. Miracle 
was the natural expression of the life of the 
Son of God. It would have been strange if 
such a life as that of Jesus had not disclosed 
itself in such control of nature as is quite im- 
possible to our partial and fragmentary lives. 
Christ wrought miracles as naturally as a tree 
bears fruit. The miracles were exercised in 
the domain of nature, as in the case of the 
calm which fell upon the tempest at his word, 
the multiplication of the bread to feed the 
multitudes, or the withering of the fig tree, 
where the natural process of death, already 



40 LIFE AND TEACHINGS OF JESUS. 

beginning to show itself in fruitlessness, was 
compressed into a day to teach the disciples its 
obvious lesson; in the realm of human disease, 
as in the healing of those having fevers, the 
lepers, the paralytic, the blind, the dumb, the 
insane and the possessed; and in the domain 
of death, where life was recalled to one just 
dead, as the daughter of Jairus; to one carried 
to the tomb, like the young man of Nain, or to 
one some days buried, like Lazarus of Bethany. 
The crowning miracle, however, was the resur- 
rection of Jesus, which was urged by the dis- 
ciples as convincing proof of his divinity and 
Messiahship. In all these works of power 
Jesus had in view chiefly the training of the 
twelve disciples. The people saw and won- 
dered; they felt his healing touch and re- 
joiced in his beneficent power, but they saw 
only as those who behold and presently forget. 
It was the disciples who saw and understood. 
The miraculous work of Jesus, like most of his 
teaching, was a divine clinic. The people 
were the subjects, and much of blessing came 
to them; but the disciples were the students. 
They saw and heard continually, as the people 
could not. To them much was explained in 
private. The words and works of Jesus were 
his method of training them. Through them 



PUBLIC MINISTRY AND SUCCESS. 41 

the people could be reached later as Jesus was 
unable to reach them during the short period 
of his ministry. 

8. But greater than the preaching was the 
preacher; more sublime than the teaching was 
the teacher; more wonderful than the miracles 
was he who wrought them. The character of 
Jesus is the most interesting and inspiring of 
themes. He lived the life of God under the 
limitations of human life. He manifested the 
perfect life of humanity, and evermore called 
upon his followers to live as he lived. Perfection 
was his only standard, and to this he always 
pointed his disciples. His life was a constant 
disclosure of love. He loved man and believed 
in men, even those classes which were excluded 
from the regard of society in his day. But his 
love was not a mere mild benevolence which 
overlooked evil. No more stern and terrible 
words have been uttered than those of Jesus 
concerning the sins which defile and destroy life. 
No eye ever so clearly saw the ravages of sin, 
yet no lip ever spoke such love and hope for 
the sinner. There was a quietness and calm- 
ness in the character of Jesus which revealed 
his perfect poise and self-mastery as well as 
his absolute authority, the authority not of 
arbitrary assumption but of a perfect vision of 



42 LIFE AND TEACHINGS OF JfiJSTJS. 

God and complete knowledge of man's highest 
good. Withal there was a sublime enthusiasm 
constantly displayed. To do the Father's 
will was the passion of Jesus' life. In the 
accomplishment of this great task the thought 
of self was quite lost. The humility of Jesus 
is one of the most surprising features of his 
ministry. It was not an official humility, made 
necessary by his work, but the deliberate 
choice of a life the most complete and rich 
the world has seen. He put away honors, 
he repressed mere applause, he disclaimed any 
attempt to seek his own glory, he made the 
humble and teachable nature of the child the 
standard of entrance into his kingdom, he 
washed his disciples' feet, he took upon himself 
every quiet and obscure ministry that needed 
performance. All this was a part of his dis- 
closure of a perfect life. His was the ideal 
character, because it was perfectly normal, 
balanced, complete. The secrets of his human 
life were few and simple. He was saturated 
with the utterances of scripture; he was much 
in prayer; he was filled with the Holy Spirit. 
Thus he went onward, unhasting, unresting, 
to the accomplishment of the world's redemp- 
tion. 



PUBLIC MINISTRY AND SUCCESS. 43 



1. John's testimony to Jesus. Jn. i: 19-34. The first 
disciples, Jn. 1: 35-51. The first miracle, Jn. 2: 1-11. Visit in 
Capernaum, Jn. 2: 12. 

2. Conversation with Nicodeinus, Jn. 2: 23; 3: 21. Jesus' 
work in Judea, Jn.3: 22. John at Aenon, Jn. 3:23-36. Im- 
prisonment of John the Baptist, Mt. 14: 3-5; Mk. 6: 17, 18; Lu. 
3:19,20. 

3. Departure of Jesus from Judea, Mt. 4: 12: Mk. 1:14; 
Jn. 4 : 1-3. Jesus in Samaria, Jn. 4 : 4-42. 

4. Jesus in Galilee, Mt. 4 : 12-17 ; Mk. 1 : 14, 15 ; Lu. 4 : 14, 15 
Jn. 4:43-45. 

Call of four disciples. Mt. 4 : 18-22 ; Mk. 1 : 16-20 ; Lu. 5 : 1-11 
Call of Matthew, Mt. 9:9-13; Mk. 2: 13-17: Lu. 5: 27 32. Choice 
of the Twelve, Mt. 10: 2-4: Mk. 3: 13-19; Lu. 6: 12-16. 

5. First rejection at Nazareth, Lu. 4: 16-31. First preach- 
ing tour in Galilee, Mt. 4: 23; Mk. 1: 3545; Lu. 4: 42 44. The 
second journey thro' Galilee, Lu. 8: 1-S. Second rejection at 
Nazareth, Mt. 13: 54-58; Mk. 6: 1-6. Third tour thro' Galilee, 
Mt. 9:35; Mk.6:6. 

6. The question of fasting, Mt. 9: 14-17; Mk. 2: 18-22; Lu. 
5: 33-39. Father and the Son, Jn. 5: 1947. The disciples and 
the Sabbath, Mt. 12: 1-8; Mk. 2: 23-28; Lu. 6: 1-5. Sermon on 
the Mount, Mt. 5:7; Lu. 6:2049. Forgiveness and love, Lu. 
7 : 36-50. Warnings to Scribes and Pharisees, Mt. 12 : 2245 ; Mk 
3: 19 30; Lu. 11: 14-36. The kindred of Jesus, Mt. 12: 46-50; Mk. 
3 : 31-35 ; Lu. 8 : 19-21 The first group of parables, Mt. 13 : 1-53 ; 
Mk. 4: 1-34; Lu. 8: 4-18. Instructions to the Twelve, Mt. 9: 36; 
11:1; Mk.6: 7-13; Lu. 9:1-6. 

7. The nobleman's son. Jn. 4: 46-54. A day in Capernaum, 
Mt. 8:14-17; Mir. 1: 21 34; Lu.4: 31-41. A leper healed, Mt. 8: 
1-4 ; Mk. 1 : 4045 ; Lu, 5 : 12-16. The paralytic lowered through 
the roof, Mt. 9:1-8; Mk. 2:1-12; Lu. 5:17-26. The pool at 
Bethesda, Jn. 5: 1-18. The withered hand, Mt. 12: 9-14; Mk. 3: 
1-6 ; Lu. 6 : 6-11. The fame of Jesus, Mt. 4 : 23-25 ; 12 : 15-21 ; Mk. 
3: 712; Lu. 6: 17-19. The centurion's servant, Mt. 8: 5-13; Lu. 
7: 1-10. The widow's son raised, Lu. 7: 11-17. The tempest 
stilled, Mt.8: 23-27; Mk. 4: 3541; Lu. 8: 22-25. In Gadara, Mt. 
8: 28-34; Mk. 5: 1-20 ;Lu. 8: 26-39 The daughter of Jairus, Mt. 
9:18-26; Mk. 5: 21-43; Lu. 8:40-56. The blind and the dumb, 
Mt. 9: 27-34. 



Review : i. What was John's testimony to 
Jesus? How were Jesus' earliest disciples gathered ? 
Where did he attend a wedding? 2. What was the 
scene of Jesus' early ministry? Why? With what 



44 LIFE AND TEACHINGS OF JESUS. 

influential Jew did Jesus have a conversation ? On 
what subject ? What was the character of Jesus' 
work at this time ? How did this affect John ? What 
was the occasion of John's arrest? 3. What caused 
Jesus to close his labors in Judea ? What occurred at 
Jacob's well? What were the results? 4. Why did 
Jesus choose the disciples ? What was his principle 
of selection ? What were the three groups of disci- 
ples ? How was Jesus' work adjusted to the needs of 
the twelve? 5. What was the central theme of 
Jesus' preaching ? What occurred at the synagogue 
in Nazareth ? What city was the later home of 
Jesus? How many preaching tours did he make ? 
How was the company supported? 6. How did 
Jesus find opportunities to teach? What kinds of 
illustration did Jesus employ? For whom was the 
teaching especially intended ? On what subjects did 
he speak? 7. What four purposes were served by 
the miracles of Jesus ? In what three directions were 
the miracles exercised? Name some of the most 
important of them. For whose benefit were the 
miracles wrought, the people's or the disciples' ? 8. 
In what respect was Jesus greater than his work? 
What were eight of his leading characteristics ? 



CHAPTER V. 

THK CLIMAX OF JESUS' MINISTRY. 

i. It was towards the close of the second 
year of Jesus' public work that news reached 
him of the death of John the Baptist. Several 



THE CLIMAX OF JESUS' MINISTRY. 45 

months before, a message was sent him by 
John asking whether he was really the ex- 
pected Messiah. John's ideas of the coming 
one were far removed from the low level of 
the ordinary political expectations of the time, 
which pictured the Messiah as a warrior who 
should deliver Israel and rule all nations with 
his court at Jerusalem ; and yet seemingly he 
expected methods more vigorous and decisive, 
more aggressive and striking, than character- 
ized the quiet ministry of Jesus, the prophet of 
Galilee. His own confinement made him the 
more anxious and eager to hear that the move- 
ment he had begun was advancing to success. 
Was Jesus really the expected one? Doubt 
was struggling with faith as he sent two of his 
disciples tp Jesus with the question. The 
Master reassured the lonely prisoner by 
showing that his works and words were in 
harmony with the true Messianic ideal. And 
now after months of weary silence John had 
fallen a victim to the malice of Herodias, 
which triumphed over Herod's desire to save 
the bold prophet whom he respected, if he did 
not obey. Regarding the preacher of the desert 
Jesus had already pronounced words of praise 
the most striking ever uttered by him, saying 
that no man greater than John had been born. 



46 LIFE AND TEACHINGS OF JESUS. 

2. The report of John's death caused Jesus 
to retire to a spot beyond the lake. These 
periods of retirement were growing more fre- 
quent and necessary. The fate of John 
showed that a prophet's life was not safe 
within the domains of such a man as Herod. 
But a more serious cause of disquietude lay in 
the growing opposition of the scribes and 
Pharisees, the religious leaders of the time, 
who saw with resentment the wide popularity 
Jesus was winning. They began to watch 
him. They attempted to entrap him in his 
teachings by asking difficult questions, de- 
manding signs and challenging his authority 
as a divine teacher. This attitude of men so 
influential could not fail to impress the common 
people, and though Jesus was followed every- 
where he went by crowds, because of his 
works of healing, he saw only too clearly the 
growii% power of the opposition and knew it 
would terminate in his rejection and death. 
This he had foreseen, but it was now necessary 
to prepare for it. To pursue as before the 
plan of public and constant activity would 
hasten too rapidly the end. The disciples 
were not prepared as yet for their work. 
Time was gained therefore by these periods of 
retirement, during which Jesus had uninter- 



THE CLIMAX OF JESUS ' MINISTRY. 47 

rupted opportunities to impress on their 
minds the great ideas of the kingdom. When 
the world turned away from him, Jesus retired 
into the inner circle of the disciples and 
wrought a more effective work in those days 
of rest, of prayer and of intimate converse. 
On the return of the twelve from their mission- 
ary tour he took them across the lake, where 
later he fed the multitude who followed them. 
Again later still they made a journey far to 
the north, beyond the confines of Galilee, into 
Phoenicia, where the child of the importunate 
heathen mother was healed. To these longer 
periods must be added the numerous brief 
seasons of seclusion which Jesus sought dur- 
ing an intensely active ministry, retiring to 
some neighboring mountain for a night of 
prayer. 

3. At length the time came when the 
disciples needed to be fortified for the dark 
days before them. They had been close com- 
panions of Jesus for many months. They 
had been constantly learning from him through 
teaching and works of healing. Xo others 
had enjoyed such opportunities as they. 
Did they understand him yet ? He had said 
almost nothing of his real nature or his Messi- 
anic purposes. It was better that they should 



48 LIFE AND TEACHINGS OF JESUS. 

draw their own conclusions from his work. 
They had been disciples in his school. Had 
they learned the lesson of his life? The 
whole future of Jesus* plan depended on these 
men. The gospel of his life and death must 
be entrusted to them for wider proclamation. 
Were they fitted for such a task ? Could the 
divine Spirit use them after the departure of 
the Lord ? Such were the issues of that not- 
able conversation near Caesarea Philippi. Of 
its importance Jesus gave them no hint. He 
was anxious to discover their thought regard- 
ing him, as the result of all they had seen and 
heard. He accordingly led up to the supreme 
question by asking the popular opinion of 
himself. They told him some of the people 
thought he was John the Baptist; some 
thought he was Elijah, of whose return there 
was a popular expectation ; others thought 
Jeremiah or another one of the prophets was 
again preaching in the person of the new 
teacher. Then he asked the question whose 
answer was to decide the success or failure of 
the training of the twelve. "Who do you say 
that I am ?" Peter, who usually spoke for the 
company, responded "Thou art the Messiah, 
the son of the living God." It was certainly 
not the expression of a faith peculiar to Peter, 



THE CLIMAX OF JESUS* MINISTRY. 49 

but the conviction of the whole company. In 
the joy of finding this faith in their hearts, 
Jesus declared that they had learned it from 
no man, but God himself had revealed it to 
them ; referring to their faith as the result of 
association with him, the visible manifestation 
of the nature and purposes of God. Upon 
this truth which Peter had uttered the im- 
pregnable church was to be founded, and they 
were worthy to become the messengers of its 
grace, declaring the conditions of its member- 
ship. It is evident that Peter's leadership in 
this case and every other was tempermental 
and not official. He knew no more than the 
rest. He was given no authority which the 
others did not share. The interview closed 
with the strict injunction that no public state- 
ment should be made as yet concerning the 
Messiahship. 

4. Now that their belief in him had been 
declared, Jesus began to tell them of his ap- 
proaching death. Their own thought of him 
was so largely mingled with the popular ex- 
pectation of a political rearrangement in which 
the Messiah should be a king like the Herods, 
only with greater power, that any suggestion 
that he should be put to death by his own 
nation came as a shock to them. Peter him- 



50 LIFE AND TEACHINGS OF JESUS. 

self insisted that it was all a mistake. Such a 
conclusion of the work of Jesus would ruin all 
their plans. The Master had to point out to 
them the wholly unspiritual character of their 
hopes. He had not come to join the long pro- 
cession of military heroes, nor to hold a tem- 
poral and therefore temporary power. His 
was a kingdom of righteousness and love, in 
which devotion to the good of the world 
should be the highest honor. The cross was 
to be the emblem of that society; not the 
symbol of suffering but of service. On any 
other plan a man only lost his life, his oppor- 
tunity to do good ; here he saved it. And this 
kingdom was no cloud-land ideal, but a real 
and potent force which was to begin to be 
realized presently in their own midst, as they 
should perceive. 

5. Shortly afterward Jesus took Peter, 
James and John, the three disciples who were 
best able to understand his purposes, and 
passed the night in prayer upon a mountain in 
the vicinity. While he prayed they slept, but 
were suddenly aroused by a marvelous bright- 
ness around them, and presently they saw 
Jesus talking with two representative prophets 
of the Old Testament days, Moses and Elijah. 
As they looked in fear the divine voice pro- 



THE CLIMAX OF JESUS* MINISTRY. 51 

claimed the sonship of Jesus, as at the Jordan, 
adding significantly: "Hear ye him." Moses 
and Elijah had spoken, but now Jesus alone 
was to be accepted as the final teacher of the 
world. His full and perfect declarations re- 
garding God, righteousness, sin, the duties of 
man to man, and to God, were to displace the 
partial and imperfect teaching of even the 
greatest of the prophets, who but prepared the 
way for his coming. The transfiguration has 
a notable place in the life of Jesus. It marks 
the summit of that ascending pathway up 
which Jesus led the disciples in their growing 
apprehension of his character. He had shown 
himself to be a teacher sent from God, and 
they were ready to confess his Messiahship. 
Now he permits the closer circle of them, in 
spite of his recent perplexing hints of his 
coming humiliation, to gaze for a moment on 
his outshining glory, and to hear the divine 
assurance of his nature and supremacy. The 
impression of that moment was never lost. 
They might waver under the assault of disas- 
ters that seemed to crush all their hopes when 
Jesus passed into the shadow, but they pre- 
served as a precious memory and the founda- 
tion of future confidence and heroism this vis- 



52 LIFE AND TEACHINGS OF JESUS. 

ion of the manifested Lord which they beheld 
in the holy mount (II Pet. i : 16-18). 

6. The descent from the heights of the 
transfiguration to the valley of death was 
rapid. The climax of Jesus* ministry was 
past. It stood very near the end of his work 
in Galilee, which occupied by far the greater 
part of his public life. After renewed insist- 
ence upon his approaching death, which the 
disciples totally failed to comprehend, and after 
further emphasis upon the need of humility 
and forgiveness, so difficult to understand in 
their present state of political ambition, Jesus 
seems to have made a hasty journey to Jeru- 
salem to attend the feast of tabernacles, in the 
early autumn. Here he preached boldly in 
the temple, but was in constant danger of 
arrest and death at the hands of the enraged 
ecclesiastical rulers whose faults he had so 
searchingly rebuked. Here were uttered his 
great discourses on himself as the light of the 
world, and on spiritual freedom, which are pre- 
served in the fourth Gospel. He soon re- 
turned to Galilee. But the opposition to him 
in that region had been so increased by parties 
of scribes and Pharisees from Jerusalem, who 
had followed him to counteract his influence, 
that he found it impossible to continue longer 



THE CLIMAX OF JESUS' MINISTRY. 53' 

there with safety. The great successes of 
his second year's work were not repeated. 
The people came to listen to him and he 
healed them, but not as in the great days of 
his popularity. He, therefore, bade farewell 
to the scenes of his boyhood and of the greater 
part of his public work, and passing through 
Samaria, where the inhospitable spirit of a 
village in which they stopped moved some of 
the disciples to violent indignation, he crossed 
the Jordan into Perea, where the opposition 
would be less than in Galilee or Judea. In 
connection with his departure from the north 
Jesus sent out the seventy disciples two by 
two into the region toward which he was jour- 
neying, and when they returned somewhat 
later and reported their success Jesus expressed 
his satisfaction at the spread of his teaching. 
7. This period of ministry in Perea, the 
record of which is preserved only by Luke, 
seems to have been interrupted by two hasty 
visits to Jerusalem and its vicinity ; the first at 
the feast of dedication during the winter, (Lu. 
x: 38-42; Jn. ix: i-x: 42), the second in 
response to the message from Mary and 
Martha telling him of the serious illness of 
Lazarus, whom he raised from death (Jn. xi : 
1-54). This portion of Jesus' life, though 



64 LIFE AND TEACHINGS OF JESTO. 

covering but a short time, is marked by some 
of the most precious of his teachings, (L,u. 
ix: 51-xviii: 14), such as his discourses on 
prayer, the chief places, counting the cost, 
forgiveness and faith; the miracles of the wo- 
man healed on the Sabbath, the ten lepers, of 
whom the only one who showed thankfulness 
was a Samaritan; the stories or parables of the 
lost sheep, the lost coin and the lost son, the 
unjust steward, the rich man and Lazarus, the 
importunate widow, the Pharisee and the 
publican. Occupied with such teaching and 
healing, Jesus finally made his way slowly 
toward the capital as the spring season of the 
passover approached. He spoke often of his 
approaching death; yet the disciples under- 
stood him so little that even John and his 
brother James asked for high offices in the new 
kingdom. At Jericho two blind men were 
healed, and kindly recognition was shown a 
tax gatherer named Zachaeus. The journey 
closed at the familiar village of Bethany, where 
a feast was made in honor of Jesus at the 
house of a certain Simon who had been healed 
of leprosy, at which time Mary anointed him 
with precious ointment. The end was fast 
approaching. His ministry was nearly com- 



THE CLIMAX OF JESUS' MINISTRY. 55 

plete. It was a moment of rest before the 
storm of death broke over him. 

1. John's last message, Mt. 11 : 2-19; Lu. 7:18-35. Death 
of John the Baptist, Mt. 14:1-12; Mk. 6: 14-29 ; Lu. 9: 7-9. 

2. Five thousand fed, Mt. 14: 13-23; Mk. 6: 30-46: Lu. 9: 
10-17; Jn. 6:1-15. Walking on the water, Mr. 14:24-36; Mk. 
6: 47-56; Jn. 6: 16-21. The bread of life, Jn 6: 22-71. Unwashed 
hands, Mt. 15: 1-20; Mk- 7: 11-23. Tyre and Sidon, Mt 15: 21-28; 
Mk. 7:24-30. The return to Galilee, Mt. 15:29 31; Mk. 7:31-37. 
Four thousand fed, Mt. 15 : 32-38 ; Mk. 8 : 1-9. A sign demanded, 
Mt. 15:39-16:12; Mk. 8:10-21, The blind man at Bethsaida, 
Mk.8: 22-26. 

3. The confession of Peter, Mt. 16:13-20; Mk. 8: 27-30; 
Lu. 9: 18-21. 

4. Death and resurrection of Jesus foretold, Mt, 16: 21-28 ; 
Mk, 8:31-9: 1 ; Lu. 9:22-27. 

5. The Transfiguration, Mt. 17:1-13; Mk. 9:2-13: Lu. 9: 
28-36 

6. The lunaHc boy, Mt. 17: 14-20; Mt.9:14-29; Lu.9:37-43 1 
The shadow of the cross, Mt. 17: 22, 23; Mk 9: 30-32; Lu.9: 43- 
45. The shekel for tribute, Mt. 17:24-27, Humility and for- 
giveness, Mt. 18: 1-35; Mk. 9: 33-50; Lu. 9: 46-50. The feast of 
tabernacles, Jn. 7: 1-52. The accused woman, Jn. 7: 53-8: 11. 
The light of the world, Jn. 8: 12-59. Departure from Galilee, 
Mt. 19; 1,2; 8:18-22; Mk. 10:1; Lu.9:51-62. The seventy sent 
forth, Mt. 11:20-30; Lu 10:1-24. 

7. The good Samaritan, Lu. 10: 25-37. Mary and Martha, 
Lu. 10: 38-42. The blind man, Jn. 9:141. Jesus the good 
Shepherd, Jn. 10: 1-21. The feast of dedication, Jn. 10: 22-42. 
Teachings in prayer, Lu. 11 : 1-13. Pharisees denounced, Lu. 11 : 
37-54. Warnings and exhortations, Lu. 12: 1-59. The slain 
Galileans, Lu. 13: 1-9. The woman healed on a Sabbath, Lu. 
13: 10-21. The number of the saved, Lu. 13: 22-30. Herod and 
Jerusalem, Lu. 13:31-35. At a Pharisee's table, Lu. 14:1-24. 
Counting the cost, Lu. 14: 25-35. The lost sheep, the lost 
money and the lost son, Lu 15: 1-32. The unjust steward and 
the beggar Lazarus, Lu. 16:1-31. Forgiveness and faith, Lu. 
17:1-10. Lazarus raised, Jn. 11 : 1-46. Jesus retires to Ephraim, 
Jn. 11: 47-54. Ten lepers, Lu. 17: 11-19, The coming kinerdom, 
Lu. 17: 20; 18: 8. Pharisee and publican, Lu. 18: 9-14. Teach- 
ing regarding divorce. Mt. 19 : 3-12 ; Mk. 10 : 2-12. Blessing lit- 
tle children. Mt. 19: 13-15; Mk. 10: 13-16; Lu. 18:15-17. The 
rich young man, Mt. 19: 16-20: 16; Mk. 10: 17-31; Lu. 18: 18-30. 
Going up to death, Mt. 20: 17-19; Mk. 10: 32-34; Lu. 18: 31-34. 



66 LIFE AND TEACHINGS OF JESU&. 



Request of James and John, Mt. 20 : 20-28; Mk. 10 : 3545. Blind 
men at Jericho, Mt. 20: 29-34; Mk. 10; 4^-52; Lu. 18: 35-43. 
Zacchaeus, Lu. 19: 1-10. Parable of the palms, Lu. 19:11-28. 
Jesus anointed at Bethany, Mt. 26: 6-13. Mk, 14: 3-9: Jn. 11: 55- 
12:11. 



Review: i. What was the occasion of John's 
doubt? What caused his death? What did Jesus 
say of him ? 2. What was the effect of John's death 
on Jesus' work ? What other cause of disquietude 
did he have ? What ends were gained by the periods 
of retirement ? Name some of these occasions. 3. 
Had Jesus told the disciples of his nature and mis- 
sion ? Why not ? What was the nature of the con- 
versation at Caesarea Philippi? Why was it of great 
importance? What did Peter say of Jesus? Did 
Peter know more than the others ? Why were they 
to say nothing of the matter ? 4. How did the dis- 
ciples receive the announcement of Jesus' approach- 
ing death? How alone could life be saved? 5. Why 
did Jesus take these three disciples? What occurred 
on the mountain ? What was the significance of the 
divine words ? What was the purpose of the trans- 
figuration? 6. Under what mistaken idea did the 
disciples still labor? What dangers did Jesus 
encounter at Jerusalem ? Who opposed him in Gali- 
lee? Where did he then go? Whom did he send 
out? 7. In which Gospel is the ministry in Perea 
most fully described ? What journey to Jerusalem did 
Jesus make during this time? Name some of his 
teachings and miracles that belong in this period. 
What towns were visited on the way to Jerusalem ? 
What occurred in each ? 



THE WEEK OF TRAGEDY AND TRIUMPH. 57 

CHAPTER VI. 

THE WEEK OF TRAGEDY AND TRIUMPH. 

i . In the Gospel of John the public min- 
istry of Jesus opens with the events of one 
week. In all the Gospels one week embraces 
those signal occurrences with which it closed. 
These latest experiences of our Lord disclose 
the significance of his entire earthly career. 
Paul declares that the essential elements of the 
gospel which he preached were the death, 
burial and resurrection of the Christ (I Cor. 
xv: 3, 4). To this series of events the tri- 
umphal entry into Jerusalem was the intro- 
duction. Jesus knew that his work had reached 
its crisis. He had fully measured the power 
of his opposers, the scribes and Pharisees, and 
knew that they would sooner or later compass 
his death. While the disciples were still too 
undisciplined to abide the consequences of his 
death he had avoided the issue by frequenting 
the less conspicuous portions of the land. But 
now his task of teaching was completed. The 
disciples were not mature, but they could be 
trusted to recover from the effects of the great 
tragedy, and to emerge from it, all save one, 
with deeper insight into the nature of Jesus' 



58 LIFE AND TEACHINGS OF JESUS. 

work. It was time to bring to a decisive re- 
sult the programme which he had been matur- 
ing so long . The consequences he fully under- 
stood, and of them he had often spoken to his 
incredulous followers. The time was aus- 
picious. The capital was crowded with Pass- 
over pilgrims. He would enter the city as a 
king, permitting the people who loved him full 
freedom to hail him as their expected monarch. 
This privilege he had never granted hitherto. 
Zechariah had described the entrance of the 
Messianic king to his capital seated upon an 
ass, the animal of peace (Zech. ix: 9). Jesus' 
sent for such a beast on that Sunday morning, 
and rode into the city amid the wild enthusiasm 
of the crowd which accompanied him. It 
was a deliberate challenge to his enemies. 
None could mistake his meaning when he per- 
mitted himself to be hailed as the son of David 
and the king coming in the name of the Iyord. 
The people were delighted; the disciples ex- 
ultant; their dream of power had become real 
at last. The Jewish leaders were enraged, but 
powerless; Jesus was master of the situation. 
And yet what bewilderment fell upon the peo- 
ple, what disappointment upon the disciples, 
what malicious joy upon the Pharisees and 
scribes when instead of asserting his power, 



THE WEEK OF TRAGEDY AND TRIUMPH. 59 

Jesus simply dismounted from the beast he was 
riding, looked about upon the preparations for 
the feast, and — went quietly out to Bethany! 

2. On the following morning (Monday) 
he returned to the city with the disciples, noting 
a barren fig tree by the wayside, and pro- 
nouncing the woe upon its fruitlessness. The 
night before he had seemed to abandon all 
claim to authority when he left the field to his 
enemies. But now he came quietly back and 
astonished them beyond measure by perhaps 
the boldest act of his life, the cleansing of the 
temple. Hitherto his enemies had been of the 
Pharisaic party, whose hypocrisy be had de- 
nounced. Now he invaded the domain of the 
Sadducees, the priestly class, who owned the 
rich temple franchises for the sale of sacrificial 
beasts and the exchange of temple tribute. 
Driving forth the whole group of traffickers, 
he denounced the degradation of his Father's 
house to a den of robbery. From this mo- 
ment the enraged priests, who were Sadducees, 
joined with their hated rivals, the Pharisees, 
in seeking his death. 

3. Tuesday was a day of controversies in 
Jerusalem. Jesus and his disciples came in 
from Bethany in the morning, and the twelve 
noticed the withered tree. They had scarcely 



60 LIFE AND TEACHINGS OF JESUS. 

reached the temple when a body of priests, 
scribes and elders demanded his authority for 
his conduct. He silenced them with a coun- 
ter-question regarding the baptism of John the 
Baptist, and then followed up his advantage by 
speaking the parables of the two sons, the vine- 
yard, and the marriage feast, whose applica- 
tion to themselves they could not ignore. It 
was a time when the most contrary elements 
in the party life of Jerusalem joined to destroy 
a common foe. The Pharisees consulted with 
the Herodians, and attempted to impale Jesus 
on one or the other of the horns of a dilemma 
by asking his views regarding the payment of 
tribute to the Roman government. He com- 
pletely silenced them with the reply that both 
the government and God must receive their 
due. Then the Sadducees, who denied the 
resurrection, came to the relief of their heredi- 
tary enemies with a question regarding the re- 
lations of husband and wife after death, which 
brought from Jesus another of his conclusive 
replies pointing out their ignorance of the 
Scriptures. A last attempt was then made by 
the Pharisees, who demanded Jesus' opinion 
of the greatest command in the law, to which 
his answer that the love of God was the chief 
duty, and the love of man the next, extorted 



THE WEEK OP TRAGEDY AND TRIUMPH. 61 

an exclamation of admiration even from the 
scribe who had spoken for his party. Then 
Jesus followed up his advantage by asking 
them why, if David was the ancestor of the 
Messiah, he spoke of him as Lord; and when 
they could not answer he uttered that eight- 
fold scathing condemnation of the scribes and 
Pharisees as those whose religion was but ex- 
ternal and formal, not vital. In contrast with 
these scenes of heated and violent assault on 
Jesus which drew forth his masterly replies 
and indignant denunciations, there are recorded 
his words of gentle commendation of the small 
yet generous gift of the poor widow, and his 
deep emotion at the request of the Greek vis- 
itors to see him, significant as it was of that 
wider circle of a waiting and responsive world 
beyond the angry ring of Jewish bigots and 
fanatics. 

4. On this same day Jesus gave the dis- 
ciples hints regarding the disasters soon to be- 
fall the city and the nation, and warned them 
to save themselves by flight before Jerusalem 
should fall under the assaults of Roman armies. 
He assured them that this event would mark a 
crisis in their history, closing as it would the 
Jewish age, and bring in fuller measure the era 
of his kingdom, the coming or manifestation 



62 LIFE AND TEACHINGS OP JESUS. 

of the Son of Man for victory and judgment, 
as the prefigurement of every coming crisis in 
the history of the church, and of its final 
triumph. The parables of the ten virgins and 
the talents emphasized the necessity of watch- 
fulness and fidelity. 

5. Of Wednesday's events there is no 
record, but on Thursday evening Jesus cele- 
brated the Passover supper with the twelve in 
Jerusalem, and at its close gave the disciples a 
significant lesson in humility by washing their 
feet, as a rebuke to their selfish strivings for 
place in the still-expected temporal kingdom, 
and an illustration of the spirit which was 
necessary in a citizen of the true kingdom. 
During the evening Judas, who had already 
agreed with the priests to assist in the arrest 
of Jesus, withdrew from the company. Jesus 
had previously referred to his betrayal and 
coming sufferings, and he now sought to im- 
press upon their minds the significance of his 
death by asking them to partake of bread and 
wine representing his body and blood. By 
this simple use of elements which were a part 
of the Passover meal he supplied them with a 
permanent memorial of his sacrificial death, 
and of their intimate relation to him, which 
could be sustained only by frequent renewals 



THE WEEK OF TRAGEDY AND TRIUMPH. 63 

of his life within them. The Lord's Supper 
thus came into being as a simple meal of love, 
memory and hope. Then followed those deeply 
spiritual discourses recorded in the fourth 
Gospel (Jn. xiv-xvi), which have been the 
comfort of believers through all the years, and 
in which Jesus promised the Holy Spirit as a 
comforter, emphasized the necessity of union 
with himself as the condition of fruit-bearing, 
and spoke for the last time of his death. He 
then prayed for himself, for them, and for the 
believers yet to be, that likeness to himself 
and true unity of purpose might characterize 
them in order that the world might believe in 
his divine mission. The Master and the dis- 
ciples then left the house and took their way 
to the familiar spot on the slope of the Mount 
of Olives to which they had often resorted. 
Here occurred that mysterious scene of suffer- 
ing in which the horror of death, the coming 
shame, the shrinking of an exquisitely sensitive 
soul from the brutal touch of hate, the awful 
sense of the world's sin, and the question of 
possible failure struggled with his passionate 
devotion to the purposes of his life and his 
eagerness to do the Father's will. It is not 
without significance that the Gospel of John, 
which discloses so much of the inner life of 



64 LIFE AND TEACHINGS OF JESUS. 

our Lord, does not venture upon the holy 
ground of this experience in Gethsemane. 
We only know from the other Gospels that 
Jesus at length arose from the conflict com- 
pletely victorious, and went forth from the 
gloom of the garden with calmness to meet 
derision and death. 

6. Meantime Judas was leading a band of 
temple guards to the well-known spot. He 
had deeply resented the failure of Jesus to 
avail himself of the opportunity to realize the 
political dreams of the twelve. With the 
same associations the others enjoyed he had 
deliberately set his heart on the smaller bless- 
ing of gratified ambition. The spiritual side 
of Jesus* work he would not see. In this he 
was removed only by a few degrees from the 
low plane of the other disciples. But he was 
unwilling to let Jesus direct. He would force 
the Lord into a disclosure of his power by 
permitting his foes to secure a temporary 
triumph, especially since it brought a personal 
advantage to himself. That he expected 
Jesus to assert himself at the last moment 
seems certain from the consideration of his 
awful remorse and death when he saw that the 
Master simply submitted to the plot of which 
Judas himself had become the efficient instru- 



THE WEEK OF TRAGEDY AND TRIUMPH. 65 

ment. When he appeared in the garden at the 
head of the armed company, Jesus gave him- 
self at once into their hands, so that Judas' 
prearranged signal of a kiss was a needless 
insult. Jesus was conducted to the palace of 
Annas, who though deposed from the high- 
priesthood was still regarded by the nation as 
its religious head, and exercised in an unofficial 
capacity all the power of that position through 
his sons and son in-law Joseph Caiaphas, who 
were successive occupants of that high office. 
At this midnight meeting were gathered the 
leading ecclesiastics and members of the San- 
hedrin, the national council. No formal ses- 
sion could be held at night, but plans were 
laid for a speedy condemnation in the morning. 
Jesus endured the triumphant malice of his 
foes with quiet patience. He knew that the 
pretence of justice was but a mockery. His 
death was a certainty. With the earliest dawn 
of Friday they hurried him to the home of 
Caiaphas, the reigning high priest. Here the 
formal sitting of the council was held and here 
in the outer court occurred Peter's denial. 
After frantic and futile efforts to secure testi- 
mony sufficient for even an unjust condemna- 
tion, the high priest asked Jesus regarding his 
claims. His answer was clear and decisive. 



66 LIFE AND TEACHINGS OF JESUS. 

He declared himself to be the Messiah, the 
Son of God. His condemnation on the charge 
of blasphemy was instantly decreed. But the 
Jews were under Roman control and had no 
power to put any man to death without the 
sanction of the procurator. Pontius Pilate 
who held that position was, as generally at the 
feast seasons, in the city, and to him accord- 
ingly the accused and accusers proceeded. 
The governor had no sympathy with the fana- 
tical hatred of these men of Jerusalem, and 
soon saw that there was no just cause for 
death. They knew that the charge of blas- 
phemy would be insufficient to present to 
Pilate, so they accused Jesus of being a 
pretender to political power, and worthy of 
death as a traitor. But his bearing and appear- 
ance disproved the charge, and Pilate deter- 
mined to release him. Then began the 
struggle between the procurator and the 
priests. His sense of justice revolted at the 
death of an innocent man, yet the crowd 
demanded Jesus' death, and grew every 
moment in numbers and violence. He first 
tried the device of turning the whole case over 
to Herod Antipas who was then in Jerusalem; 
but the king could secure no responses from 
Jesus, and after a scene of mockery the 



THE WEEK OP TRAGEDY AND TRIUMPH. 67 

crowd came back to the pretorium with the 
prisoner. Then Pilate sought to enlist the 
sympathy of the people and suggested the 
release of Jesus in accordance with the 
Passover custom of freeing a criminal. But 
they preferred the release of Barabbas, a 
bandit, and the death of Jesus. The governor 
was deeply perplexed. When he talked with 
the Nazarene prophet he perceived his inno- 
cence, yet here was the mob howling for his 
death. He proposed to them the scourging of 
Jesus, and his liberation, but to this they would 
not listen; and at last worn out with their 
fanaticism he yielded, washing his hands as a 
plea for freedom from responsibility, and 
handed Jesus over for scourging before he 
should be led to death. After that brutal 
scene of torture and infamy was over, Pilate 
led out Jesus before the people, hoping that 
the sight of so helpless a sufferer, bleeding 
from the wounds of thorns and scourging, and 
decked in the faded splendor of a mock king- 
ship, might touch their hearts with pity. But 
the effort was fruitless, and the Savior, who 
had borne with a quiet dignity all the horrors 
of that long morning, w T as led away to the 
death worse than death. 

7. The procession was quickly formed and 



68 LIFE AND TEACHINGS OF JEStJS. 

started toward the place of public execution. 
The Roman method of inflicting death on 
criminals was crucifixion. Two robbers were 
under sentence and were assigned to the same 
death. As the prisoners and soldiers started 
for the city gates Jesus was compelled to carry 
his cross, but soon a countryman named Simon 
of Cyrene was met on the way and was made 
to bear the instrument of death. Throngs of 
people followed and crowds lined the way. 
Many, especially the women, touched with 
pity at the fate of Jesus, wept; to them he 
spoke words of comfort mingled with warning. 
When they reached the place of death, known 
as Golgotha, or the place of skulls, from its 
sinister associations, the prisoners were stripped 
and fastened to the crosses, first being offered 
the common drink of sour wine mingled with 
an opiate to deaden somewhat the awful suf- 
fering of crucifixion. This drink Jesus re- 
fused. The rough work of the soldiers was 
quickly performed, and then began the long 
agony of lingering death, over whose horror 
the Gospels pass with a movement as rapid as 
fidelity to the facts will permit. The gar- 
ments of the prisoners were divided among the 
soldiers by the throwing of dice. Inscriptions 
were placed over the heads of the condemned 



THE WEEK OF TRAGEDY AND TRIUMPH. 69 

men giving their names and the crimes for 
which they suffered. That above the middle 
cross, " Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the 
Jews," bore the mark of Pilate's contempt for 
the people who had secured the death of this 
good man upon a charge so baseless. Against 
this inscription they protested to the governor 
in vain. But the priests and scribes had won 
their victory, and they proceeded to enjoy it 
by exultant mockery. Epithets and taunts 
were hurled at the silent figure on the cross, 
till even the crowd, the soldiers and the rob- 
bers caught the spirit of mad reviling and 
joined in the sport. He said he was the Son 
of God; let him prove it by coming down from 
the cross. He had said he would build the 
temple in three days; that was quite probable 
considering his present condition! And thus 
with sarcasm, derision and invective they in- 
tensified the publicity of shame and the agony 
of a delicate and sensitive nature in the utter- 
most suffering which a cruel death can bring. 
'* He saved others; himself he cannot save." 
No truer words were ever spoken, howbeit in 
utter ignorance of their true import. The 
work of Jesus had ever been to save others, 
and to save them still was his purpose. To 
escape death was to defeat the very ends for 



70 LIFE AND TEACHINGS OF JESUS. 

which he had wrought. The way of the cross 
was the way of light. To lose his life was to 
save it, and to save the world. His love for 
all men had been shown even on the cross in 
his touching prayer for the misguided men 
who brought him to death. Meantime a 
strange darkness came over the scene, and the 
mocking words died away in awe. One of the 
robbers even pleaded for forgiveness, and Jesus 
gave him his benediction. To his beloved dis- 
ciple, John, he committed the care of his 
mother who stood with a little group of the 
women. Then the darkness deepened and 
Jesus' soul passed into the utter shadow of 
loneliness and anguish, w T hen it seemed that 
even the Father's face was hidden; and out of 
that darkness came the heart-breaking cry: 
"My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken 
me ? ' ' Was it not a terrible price to pay for 
the world's redemption? One cannot approach 
that scene where ' ' he who knew no sin became 
sin for us" and ever feel again that sin is 
aught else but a malign and dreadful fact in 
human life. Time passed on and silence had 
fallen upon the place, when Jesus cried, "I 
thirst," and after kindly hands had raised to 
his lips a sponge saturated with the sour wine 
which the soldiers drank, he said "It is 



THE WEEK OP TRAGEDY AND TRIUMPH. 71 

finished,'' bowed his head upon his breast, and 
gave up his spirit. The darkness, the shock 
of nature and the rent curtains of the temple 
were the accompaniments of this death. Even 
the enemies of Jesus departed silently from 
the scene; the crowds returned to the city 
smiting their breasts, and the centurion who 
had commanded the cohort of Roman soldiers 
exclaimed " Surely this man was a Son of 
God." The burial of Jesus was hastened, for 
the bodies could not be left upon the cross over 
the Sabbath and it was now nearing sunset on 
Friday. The robbers, who still lived, were 
dispatched by breaking their limbs, and the 
body of Jesus, requested by Joseph of Arama- 
thea, a member of the Sanhedrin but a friend 
of the Master, was wrapped in spices accord- 
ing to the custom and laid in a new tomb hewn 
from a rock in a garden near the city. A 
huge stone was rolled to the door, the seal of 
the governor was affixed, the guards requested 
by the priests and Pharisees were posted, and 
the silence of night descended upon the "spot 
where the Lord lay. " 

8. The condition of grief and despair into 
which the tragic events of Friday had thrown 
the disciples can scarcely be conceived. They 
had believed in Jesus with a confidence and 



?2 LIFE AND TEACHINGS OF JESTTS. 

love which almost atoned for their failure to 
understand the unworldly character of his 
programme. They trusted him to the last. 
They could not doubt that at the last moment 
he would extricate himself from the toils of 
his foes and assert his power. When event 
followed event in the swift unfolding of the 
tragedy and at last they were compelled to face 
the actual fact that Jesus was dead, they were 
heartbroken and hopeless men. They still 
loved the Master, but were driven to the only 
possible conclusion — he had failed ! Their dis- 
tress was the greater when they remembered 
that one of their own number had betrayed 
him ; and Peter recalled with burning shame 
his unworthy denial that he knew Jesus. 
The Sabbath had passed over the heads of 
these unhappy men, when on the morning 
of the first day of the week came an astound- 
ing message. Mary of Magdala and other 
women had been early at the tomb to complete 
the half-finished work of wrapping the body 
of Jesus with spices. To their astonishment 
they found the tomb open and were told by 
one who sat within that Jesus had risen and 
would meet the disciples again in Galilee. 
This they hastened to tell the eleven. But 
who could believe such a tale? Peter and 



THE WEEK OF TRAGEDY AND TRIUMPH. 73 

John started at once for the sepulcher, which 
they found empty, and they departed to their 
homes deeply perplexed. Meantime other 
events were preparing the full confirmation of 
the news. Jesus met Mary who had returned 
to the tomb and was weeping in her distress 
at the mysterious disappearance of the body. 
After the removal of all doubt by his words, 
she went to assure the disciples that she had 
really seen the Lord. Later in the day two of 
Jesus* followers were going to the village of 
Emmaus talking of the recent events and the 
strange story of the morning, when Jesus 
drew near; they did not recognize him till 
they reached the end of the journey, when he 
disclosed himself and left them. They re- 
turned at once and found the apostles and 
others, Thomas only of the eleven being 
absent. They were talking of an appearance 
of the Lord to Peter during the day. The 
two friends told their story of meeting Jesus, 
and while they were still speaking he himself 
came in and stood in their midst, dispelling 
their fear and breathing upon them his spirit. 
These events made that first day of the week 
forever memorable in the calendar of the dis- 
ciples as the day of the Lord's resurrection, 
and truly worthy of being known as the Lord's 



74 LIFE AND TEACHINGS OF JESUS. 

Day. Other appearances to the apostles when 
Thomas was present, to James his own brother, 
to the seven disciples at the sea of Galilee, 
and lastly to a company of more than five 
hundred believers, of whom the apostles were 
the nucleus, complete the story of that last 
period of our Lord's earthly work, in which 
he kept himself exclusively to those who be- 
lieved in him. The atmosphere of the un- 
believing world was no longer for him. Hence- 
forth he must reach men by the ministries of 
the gospel in the hands and through the lips of 
men. So in that impressive interview on the 
mountain he gave them his last commission. 
His earthly ministry was ended, his triumph 
was complete. He had been made perfect 
through suffering. All authority was com- 
mitted to him for the redemptive work of the 
world's salvation. The disciples were to go 
into all lands and proclaim the message of the 
kingdom of God, the good tidings of redemp- 
tion through living faith in the Son of God. 
He told them to make disciples everywhere, 
whose acceptance of his leadership and his 
programme should be openly manifested by 
their baptism, and who should be taught to 
observe his teachings regarding the duties of 
the children of the kingdom. A few days 



THE WEEK OB TRAGEDY AND TRIUMPH. 75 

later he was with them again in the vicinity of 
Jerusalem, and led them out as far as Bethany, 
where he gave them his parting blessing and 
left them to prosecute the work of the gospel. 
After his ascension they returned to the city, 
not depressed at his departure, but rejoicing 
in the ministry to which he had appointed 
them. When in later years they told the story 
of his life it was always with the feeling that 
the best part could not be told. They had 
touched the mantle of God; they had heard, 
they had seen with their eyes and beheld and 
handled the Word of Life (I John i: i). It 
was no fable, for they themselves had been 
transformed by the touch of that life. They 
could only tell a part. No human volume 
could contain the whole; but these things 
were spoken and written that men might be- 
lieve that Jesus is the Messiah the Son of 
God, and that believing they might have life 
in his name. He who was born a son of 
David according to the flesh had been declared 
to be the Son of God with power according to 
the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from 
the dead. "He was manifested in the flesh, 
justified in the spirit, seen of angels, preached 
among the nations, believed on in the world, 
received up into glory.' ' (I Tim. iii: 16.) 



76 LIFE AND TEACHINGS OF JESUS. 



1. The triumphal entry, Mt. 21: 1-11; Mk. 11: Ml; Lu. 19: 
29-44 ; Jn. 12: 12-19. 

2. The doom of the barren fig-tree, Mt. 21: 18, 19; Mk. 11: 
12-14. Cleansing of the temple, Mc. 21 : 12-17 ; Mk. 11 : 15-19 ; Lu. 
19:45-48; Jn. 2:13-22. 

3. The withered fig-tree, Mt. 21 : 20-22 ; Mk. 11 : 20-25. Jesus' 
authority questioned, Mt. 21: 23 27; Mk. 11: 27-33; Lu. 20: 1-8. 
Parables of warning, Mt. 21: 28-22: 14 ; Mk. 12: 1-12 ; Lu. 20: 9-19. 
Three questions, Mt.22: 15-40; Mk. 12: 13-34; Lu. 20:20-40. The 
son of David, Mt. 22: 41-46; Mk. 12: 35-37; Lu. 20: 41-44. De- 
nunciation of scribes and Pharisees, Mt. 23: 1-39; Mk. 12: 38-40 
Lu. 20 : 45-47. The widow's mites, Mk. 12 : 41-44 : Lu. 21 : 14. Re- 
quest of the Greeks, Jn. 12: 20-36. Jewish rejection of Jesus, 
Jn. 12:37-£0. 

4. Discourse on coming events, Mt. 24: 1-51; Mk. 13: 1-37; 
Lk. 21:5-38. The ten virgins, Mt. 25: 1-13. The talents, Mt. 
25: 14-30. The judgment, Mt. 25: 31-46. 

5. Conspiracy to betray Jesus, Mt. 26: 1-5; 14-16; Mk. 14: 
1, 2, 10, 11 ; Lu. 22 : 1-6. The memorial supper, Mt. 26 : 17-29 ; Mk. 
14: 12-25; Lu. 22: 7-30; Jn. 13: 1-30. Farewell admonitions and 
promises, Mt. 26: 31-35; Mk. 14: 27-31; Lu. 22: 31 38; Jn. 13: 31-16: 
33. The prayer of the Lord, Jn. 17: 1-26. Gethsemane. Mt. 
26: 30; 36-46; Mk. 14: 26 ; 32-42 ; Lu. 22: 39-46; Jn. 18: 1. 

6. The arrest, Mt. 26: 47-56; Mk. 14: 43-52; Lu. 22: 47-53; Jn. 
18: 2-11. Trial before the Jewish authorities, Mt. 26: 57-75; 
Mk. 14: 53-72; Lu. 22: 54-71; Jn. 18: 12-27. Suicide of Judas, Mt. 
27: 3- 10. Trial before Pilate, Mt. 27: 1, 2; 11 31 ; Mk. 15: 1-20; 
Lu. 23: 1-25; Jn. 18: 28-19: 16. 

7. The cross, Mt. 27 : 32-56 ; Mk. 15 : 21-41 ; Lu. 23 : 26-49 ; Jn. 
19 ; 17-37. The burial, Mt. 27 : 57-61 ; Mk. 15 : 42-47 ; Lu. 23 : 50-56 ; 
Jn. 19 : 38-42. The guard at the tomb, Mt. 27 : 62-66 

8. The resurrection of Jesus, Mt. 28: 1-10; Mk. 16: 1-11; 
Lu. 24: 1-12; Jn. 20: 1-18 Report of the guard, Mt. 28: 11-15. 
The road to Emmaus, Mk. 16 : 12, 13 ; Lu. 24 : 13-35. Appearance 
to the ten, Lu. 24: 36-43; Jn. 20: 19-25. Appearance to the 
eleven, Mk. 16: 14; Jn. 20: 26-29. The seven at the sea, Jn. 21: 
1-24. The mountain in Galilee, Mt. 28: 16-20; Mk. 16: 15-18. 
Parting words, Mk. 16: 19,20; Lu. 24: 44-53. Purpose of the 
Gospels, Jn. 20: 30, 31 ; 21: 25. 



Review: i. What were the three leading facts 
in the ministry of Jesus? What was the purpose of 
the triumphal entry ? Describe it. What was its un- 
expected ending? 2. What. was the purpose of the 



THE WEEK OP TRAGEDY AND TRIUMPH. 77 

woe pronounced on the fig-tree ? What startling exhi- 
bition of authority did Jesus give in the temple ? What 
effect did this have? 3. What four questions were 
asked of Jesus on Tuesday, and by what groups of 
men? How did Jesus answer in each case? What 
two incidents of a more pleasing nature occurred on 
this day ? 4. What great discourse was spoken to the 
disciples ? What event in the near future was re- 
ferred to? What parables were told? 5. Describe 
the nature and manner of the Passover. What oc- 
curred at the close of the feast? What memorial in- 
stitution was celebrated for the first time? On what 
themes did Jesus then speak to the disciples ? For 
what did he pray? What were some of the causes of 
Jesus' agony in the garden. 6. Why did Judas betray 
Jesus ? Where was he first taken ? By what body of 
men was he condemned and on what charge? What 
did Pilate attempt to do, and by what means? How 
was Jesus treated by the soldiers? What was the 
bearing of Jesus? 7. What was the Roman method 
of inflicting capital punishment? Who carried the 
cross of Jesus? How were the people affected? 
What kindness was usually shown the crucified? 
What inscription was put over Jesus? How was he 
treated by the crowd ? What were the closing events 
of the crucifixion ? What was done with Jesus' body ? 
8. What was the state of mind of the disciples ? How 
did the various accounts of the resurrection reach 
them? What events combined to make the first day 
of the week sacred to the disciples? What were the 
most important events of Jesus' life after the resur- 
rection ? What commission did he give the disciples ? 



PART IL 

THE TEACHINGS OF JESUS. 






CHAPTER I. 

CHARACTERISTICS OF JESUS* TEACHING. 

i. The most distinctive element in Jesus' 
ministry was his teaching. In the largest 
sense his entire public career was a process of 
instruction to the disciples and the multi- 
tudes. His actions as well as his words were 
a disclosure of the divine life, and thus he still 
taught when silent. But most of his time 
was spent in the actual work of teaching. 
Even his deeds of healing were accompanied 
by utterances which gave them a didactic 
value quite beyond their mere physical effects. 
To this feature of Jesus' work the fourth Gos- 
pel bears particular witness, in each case con- 
necting the miracles with appropriate instruc- 
tions. Jesus went about expressing himself 
upon the highest themes of life. He seem- 
ingly gave no concern to the preservation of 



CHARACTERISTICS OF JESUS* TEACHING. 79 

his words. He wrote nothing. He did not 
enjoin his disciples to set down the things he 
spoke. He simply taught them his own in- 
terpretation of life, and left them to carry 
that message to the world. His recorded 
words are few, and yet they are the most pro- 
foundly influential utterances in the possession 
of the race. Much of what Jesus said has not 
been preserved to us, for we cannot suppose 
that his teachings and discourses included no 
more than the scanty materials that have come 
into our hands. Yet we may well believe 
tbat these w 7 hich we have are the most valua- 
ble sayings of his life, and constitute that 
body of truth whose frequent repetition by 
Jesus left a profound impression on the minds 
of the disciples. John tells us that but a 
small portion of Jesus' actions were chronicled, 
(Jn. xx : 30, 31; xxi: 25,) and this was un- 
questionably true of his words. But these 
words of his, which would make so small a 
volume if gathered into a book by themselves, 
have been the starting point and inspiration 
for the world's progress toward a higher ethi- 
cal and spiritual level. " Never man so 
spake," (Jn. vii: 46). 

2. Jesus attracted the people by his man- 
ner of speaking. He had no difficulty in se- 



80 LIFE AND TEACHINGS OF JESUS. 

curing audiences. There must have been a 
charm about his speech which few men have 
possessed. His audiences grew rapidly where- 
ever he stopped to speak. Conversations with 
an individual or a small group became dis- 
courses as the number of the hearers grew, 
till sometimes he was pushed down to the 
margin of the lake and compelled to take re- 
fuge in a boat. In teaching, Jesus* usual 
manner seems to have been quiet. He sat in 
the synagogue, in the boat, or upon the moun- 
tain, while his listeners gathered about him. 
But sometimes his mood was more intense, as 
when encountering the opposition of the rul- 
ers in Jerusalem, and then his voice, ordinar- 
ily calm, though always strong and clear, rose 
in impassioned utterance as he stood and 
cried, " If any man thirst, let him come to 
me and drink/ ' (Jn. vii: 37). Jesus used 
all occasions for teaching. In the country, in 
the field, on the road, in the city streets, in 
the house, at feasts, in the temple, always and 
everywhere he taught. No audience was ever 
too small, no listeners too commonplace to 
rouse his interest. The passion of the preach- 
er came upon him at the sight of men. At 
such times all wants of the body were forgot- 
ten. He had meat to eat of which others 



CHARACTERISTICS OF JESUS' TEACHING. 81 

knew not, for his meat was to do the Father's 
will (Jn. iv: 3 2 "34)- 

3. The form of Jesus' teaching was orien- 
tal. It was not systematic, orderly, logical. 
Our methods of teaching and preaching to-day 
conform to models very different from those 
which prevailed in the days of our Savior and 
among his people. He was familiar with the 
scriptures of the Old Testament, and in form 
his teachings closely resembled those of the 
prophets and sages of Hebrew history. Like 
theirs his language abounded in figures of 
speech, — expressions such as, fl If thine eye 
cause thee to stumble, pluck it out" (Mt. v: 
29); " Blessed are they that hunger and thirst 
after righteousness" (Mt. v: 6); " Ye are the 
salt of the earth" (Mt. v: 13); " Let not 
thy left hand know what thy right hand 
doeth " (Mt. vi: 3); the references to the mote 
and beam (Mt. vii: 3), and to the narrow and 
wide gates (Mt. vii: 13); these and many other 
examples illustrate Jesus' method of using 
familiar objects and actions to impress his 
teaching regarding spiritual things. His 
words can only be understood in their figura- 
tive use. This method of teaching is thor- 
oughly oriental. The Old Testament abounds 
in such language. Both prophets and sages. 



82 LIFE AND TEACHINGS OF JESUS. 

or wise men, used it. But, of the two, Jesus 
followed the sages or proverb-makers rather 
than the prophets in the form of his teaching, 
while he stood wholly with the prophets in its 
content and spirit. Much of the teaching of 
Jesus is thrown into the proverb form, which 
packs away into a couplet the wisdom of a 
volume. Great numbers of his sayings con- 
firm this statement. The beatitudes all have 
this form: 

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, 
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. " 

(Mt.v: 3 .) 

Another familiar example is the Golden Rule: 

" Whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, 
Do ye also unto them. ,, (Mt. vii: 12.) 

Two more may be cited: 

" Ye therefore shall be perfect, 
Even as your heavenly Father is perfect." 

(Mt. v: 48.) 
" Judge not 
That ye be not judged." (Mt. vii: I.) 

Sometimes even the more artistic form of 
the inverted proverb is used, where in a 
double couplet the first line is completed by 
the fourth, and the second by the third, thus 
adding interest to the discovery of the mean- 
ing when the form of the proverb as it stands 



CHARACTERISTICS OF JESUS 1 TEACHING. 83 

does not yield a satisfactory sense, as in the 
familiar saying: 

" Give not that which is holy unto the dogs; 
Neither cast ye your pearls before swine, 
Lest they trample them under their feet; 
Lest they turn and rend you" (Mt. vii: 6.) 

These comparisons of the form of Jesus' 
teaching with that of the proverb literature of 
the Old Testament of which Solomon was the 
common denominator, give point to Jesus' 
words regarding the Queen of Sheba, that 
" She came from the ends of the earth to hear 
the wisdom of Solomon, and behold a greater 
than Solomon is here " (Mt. xii: 42). 

4. Naturally growing out of the proverb 
form, which contained often some illustra- 
tion of ethical truth from nature, or the cus- 
toms of the time, came the story, or parable, 
which developed the illustration into a narra- 
tive. This was used in the Old Testament to 
a limited extent, both in the form of the fable, 
where inanimate objects are represented as 
acting like men, as in Jotham's tale of the 
trees choosing a king (Jud. ix: 6-15), and 
Jehoash's story of the thistle and the cedar 
(II Ks. xiv: 8-10), and in the form of the par- 
able, a story which conforms to probability, 
without professing to set forth actual facts, 



84 LIFE AND TEACHINGS OF JESUS. 

as the parable of the ewe lamb, told by 
Nathan to David, (II Sam. xii: 1-7). Jesus 
chose this method of teaching because it made 
his words more attractive and intelligible to 
the people. It was often possible to put into 
a story the force of argument to which a 
long discourse would have been inadequate. 
Then, too, he reached the comprehension of 
his hearers more easily by putting his teach- 
ing into narratives taken from the life about 
him, than if he had used more formal state- 
ments. No one could mistake the meaning 
of parables like those of the good Samaritan 
(L,u. x: 25-37), the rich fool (Lu. xii:2i), the 
great supper and the rejected invitations (I,u. 
xiv: 15-24), the lost sheep (L,u. xv: 3-7), the 
lost coin (L,u. xv: 8-10), the lost son (I^u. xv: 
11-32), or the Pharisee and the publican (Lu. 
xviii: 9-14). They set forth truth in such a 
telling form that argument was unnecessary. 
Moreover the parables had in each case one 
point of emphasis. Often many details were 
added to the picture to make it vivid, but one 
always loses the central teaching if he forces 
meanings upon the subordinate features. But 
the parable method was also employed to ob- 
scure truth. When Jesus began to be watched 
by his enemies, he found it necessary to con- 



CHARACTERISTICS OF JESUS ' TEACHING. 85 

ceal his meaning at times, while continuing to 
teach the disciples. The parable permitted 
this, by affording him the opportunity of in- 
teresting the people in the story, and after- 
ward explaining it to the twelve in private. 
Such interpretations were given by him re- 
garding the parables of the seed and the soils 
(Mt.xiii: 1-23), the tares (Mt.xiii: 24-30; 36-43), 
and others; and sometimes the disciples were 
in doubt whether a parable was intended for 
them alone or for the larger circle that heard, 
(L,u. xii: 41). 

5. From a slightly different point of view, 
it may be said that the forms of Jesus* teach- 
ing were three. There was first the direct 
discourse, like that on the mount, which con- 
sisted of proverb-like statements of truth, or 
clusters of such proverbs, or a proverb with a 
series of comments upon it; or parables, either 
alone or in a group, or inserted here and there 
in a discourse to enforce some lesson. Such 
discourses Jesus must have been uttering con- 
stantly. The different form and setting pre- 
sented in Luke as compared with Matthew's 
version of the sermon on the mount, affords 
the suggestion that we are dealing with a body 
of teaching many times uttered by our Savior, 
and perhaps reported by the two evangelists 



86 LIFE AND TEACHINGS OF JESUS. 

from different occasions. Then Jesus used 
dialogue or conversation in order to widen his 
circle of students. This had the advantage of 
question and answer. Such conversations are 
numerous in the fourth Gospel as seen in the 
interviews of Jesus with Nicodemus (Jn. iii), 
and of Jesus with the woman of Samaria 
(Jn. iv). The third form of teaching, which 
is in fact an extension of the method of ques- 
tion and answer, is the controversy, which 
played so conspicuous a part in the closing 
week of Jesus' life, when he was approached 
repeatedly by his enemies with puzzling ques- 
tions, in the hope that they might ensnare 
him and so discredit him with the people. 
Examples of this are seen in the controversy 
with the Herodians regarding tribute money 
(Mt. xxii: 15-40), with the Sadducees regard- 
ing the future life (Mt. xxii: 23-33), an( i with 
the Pharisees regarding the great commanfl- 
ment (Mt. xxii: 34-40). 

6. The method of Jesus as a teacher il- 
lustrates many of the principles which experi- 
ence has demonstrated to be requisite for suc- 
cessful work as an instructor. Every teacher 
could study with profit his manner of impart- 
ing truth, of which the most notable feature 
was its adaptation to the minds of those he 



CHARACTERISTICS OF JESUS ' TEACHING. 87 

addressed. His audiences were composed 
largely of people uninstructed in any but the 
most simple elements of education. Yet he 
always so spoke as to be understood by them 
in matters which he desired to make clear. 
His teachings were admirably adapted to their 
comprehension. He used language common 
to their daily life, and illustrations drawn 
from their occupations. The simplicity and 
directness of the speech of Jesus constitute its 
peculiar charm and power. Then, too, he 
connected his teaching with thefamilar themes 
and phrases of earlier teachers, so that the el- 
ement of strangeness was as far as possible 
eliminated. Men are suspicious of one who 
teaches a new doctrine, or uses a new vocabu- 
lary in which to frame his message. But if 
he speaks of things which have been long the 
themes of discussion, and uses expressions 
which are familiar, he is heard and trusted. 
This was true of Jesus. He connected him- 
self directly with the prophets and with John 
the Baptist, so that men even thought he was 
one or the other of these (Mt. xvi: 14). Many 
of his most characteristic words and expres- 
sions were in current use. Among these were 
such phrases as, " kingdom of heaven," u king- 
dom of God," " son of man," "son of God,", 



88 LIFE AND TEACHINGS OF JESUS. 

" son of David/ ' "righteousness," "faith," 
"repentance," "baptism," "Holy Spirit," 
"judgment," "the last day/ ' etc. Jesus did 
not coin these expressions, but finding them in 
common use, he employed them on the princi- 
ple of adaptation, and presently conformed 
them to his purposes by imparting to them a 
new meaning, providing them with a new con- 
tent. Thus he secured the attention of those 
to whom they were familiar ideas, but led 
them on to larger conceptions of his work by 
the new significance given them. Moreover, 
Jesus spoke to people on the level of their own 
thought, accepting as a common basis of 
teaching their views on matters not essential 
to his message. On questions of history, 
science and literature he never raised an issue, 
though he must have been aware of the incor- 
rectness of many popular ideas regarding na- 
ture, the Scriptures, the soul and the future. 
But these errors did not interfere with the 
purposes of his work; and to raise the ques- 
tion of fidelity to fact in popular thought, to 
correct the ordinary views regarding the order 
of nature, or the past literary and political life 
ot the nation, would have been to divert atten- 
tion from matters much more pertinent to his 
work. One finds in this fact the simple ex- 



CHARACTERISTICS OF JESUS' TEACHING. 89 

pianation of his use of expressions such as 
" the ends of the earth" (Mt. xii: 42), " the 
sun was risen'* (Mk. iv: 6), or his reference 
to the mustard seed as the smallest of all seeds 
(Mk. iv: 31), or to heaven as above and hades 
as beneath (L,u. x: 15), in which he used the 
language of the time, and no more committed 
himself to an endorsement of these ideas as 
facts of nature than to the approval of the 
common ideas regarding the authorship and 
historicity of books of the Old Testament by 
his references to narratives or names. All 
these matters were subordinate to the pur- 
poses of our Lord's teaching, and to discuss 
them would have been to confuse where he 
sought to enlighten. 

7. Among the qualities which appeared 
in Jesus' teaching some deserve particular 
notice. Perhaps the most surprising to the 
people of the time was the authority with 
which he spoke. It was the custom of the 
age that a teacher should fortify every state- 
ment with numerous references to the opin- 
ions of learned men on the subject. Few 
ventured to express their own views independ- 
ently. Jesus relied upon no former teacher, 
but spoke with directness and force the truths 
he felt. His most frequent utterance was, 



90 LIFE AND f EACHINGS OF JESUS. 

" I say unto you." He put his own words on 
a level with those of the Old Testament in 
authority. He showed the incomplete charac- 
ter of the Mosaic law, and corrected its teach- 
ings in many particulars. People noticed 
this fact, and said of him that he spoke with 
authority and not as the scribes (Mt. vii: 29). 
Then, too, there was a fervor and urgency in 
his words which could not fail to be impres- 
sive. Men went out from his presence with 
a new glow of heart, and a strange yearning 
to be holy. His word was with power (Lu. 
iv: 32). He enforced his message with the 
majesty of a great personality, and the sanc- 
tions of eternal truth. Men were impressed 
with the fact that no man ever so spake. 
Then Jesus startled men by his words. Many 
of his utterances went off like explosions, 
causing consternation on every side. He had 
the ability to put his thought into language 
that compelled attention, not alone by its form, 
but by its startling character. Bold, enig- 
matical, at times almost shocking things 
were said by him, all with the deliberate pur- 
pose of compelling men to think. No teacher 
ever so crossed the thought of his own time as 
did Jesus when he said, " Blessed are the poor" 
(IyU. vi: 20), " Woe unto you that are rich" (Lu. 



CHARACTERISTICS OF JESUS' TEACHING. 91 

vi: 24.) "I came not to call the righteous but 
sinners'' (Mk. ii: 17), " Whosoever would save 
his life shall loseit." (Mk. xvi : 25), "Not 
that which entereth into the mouth defileth the 
man, but that which proceedeth out of the 
mouth, this defileth the man" (Mt. xv: n). 
Even more startling were such statements as, 
" It is easier for a camel to go through the eye 
of a needle than for a rich man to enter the 
kingdom of God" (Mt. xix:24), "If any 
man cometh unto me and hateth not his own 
father, and mother, and wife and children, and 
brethren and sisters, yea and his own life also, 
he cannot be my disciple" (Lu xiv: 26); and, 
<4 Except ye eat the flesh of the son of man 
and drink his blood, ye have no life in you" 
(Jn. vi : 53). Such expressions are not to be 
interpreted with bold literalism, but must be 
understood in the light of the whole body of 
the Master's teaching, and recognized as suc- 
cessful attempts to force men to consider the 
new truth he was bringing, by putting it into a 
form so bold, so uncompromising, even so 
disturbing, that there could be no longer main- 
tained an attitude of indifference on the part 
of the hearer. 

8. Another quality to be observed in the 
teaching of Jesus was its sternness at times. 



92 LIFE AND TEACHINGS OF JESUS. 

No prophet ever spoke words of more severe 
rebuke than he. His nature was not all mild- 
ness. On more than one occasion his indigna- 
tion against sin voiced itself in words that 
must have scorched as they fell. Such were 
his "woes" pronounced on the Pharisees 
(Mt. xxiii: 13-36;; his rebuke of Peter (Mt. 
xvi: 23), and his references to the judgment 
on sin (Mk. ix: 48; Mt. xxv: 41). Yet prob- 
ably the most noticeable of his qualities was 
his graciousness. In a time when the com- 
mon people were so largely despised by the 
educated classes, and especially by the religious 
leaders, and esteemed as accursed for their 
ignorance of the details of the ecclesiastical 
law (Jn. vii: 49), Jesus made a deep impres- 
sion on all by his interest in them, and his 
willingness to impart his own power and 
knowledge to the most neglected. The out- 
cast and abandoned felt new hope in his pres- 
ence. He did not overlook their wretched 
condition, but inspired them with a desire for 
better things. His teachings made evident the 
equality of all men as sinners, and the fact that 
not infrequently those on whom the indigna- 
tion of society was already visited, like the 
publicans and harlots, were not so far from the 
kingdom as some of the professed religionists, 



TEACHING. 93 

whose pride was a deeper sin against God. 
This wide reach of sympathy in the nature of 
Jesus won all who were capable of perceiving 
their need, and ''the common people heard 
him gladly" (Mk. xii: 37;. Once more, 
Jesus taught with a certain reserve, withhold- 
ing at first what the disciples were only able 
to understand later. In his training of the 
twelve he said nothing of his Messiahship or 
of his coming death till comparatively late in 
his ministry. They were then prepared to 
understand more fully. Even at the close he 
assured them that there was much of which 
he would speak, but they were not prepared 
to hear (Jn. xvi: 12). In all of these particu- 
lars Jesus was a true teacher, and made use of 
pedagogical principles which make his meth- 
ods of instruction of particular interest to all 
who teach. Nor must it be forgotten that 
Jesus taught as truly by the example of his 
life as by his words. If he had never uttered 
himself upon such themes as filial regard, life in 
the home, the claims of friendship, obligations 
to God, to men, to the state, to the religious 
customs of the times, the necessity of prayer, 
of the study of the Scriptures, of love mani- 
fested in all the relations of life, his conduct 
would have been sufficient to impress these 



94 LIFE AND TEACHINGS OF JESUS. 

duties on all his followers. His words were 
impressive because he was the living embodi- 
ment of his doctrine. Behind the teaching 
was the life of the Teacher. 

9. Though Jesus touched almost every 
phase of human conduct in his teaching, he 
concerned himself only with the highest 
themes. He did not publish a set of rules, 
but provided his followers with certain great 
principles in accordance with which their lives 
could be squared. The Old Testament is full 
of prohibitions and small duties. The teach- 
ing of Jesus moves on a higher level, and fills 
one with an enthusiasm to be like the Master. 
In the utterance of his truths Jesus never 
argued with men. He simply announced. He 
did not define, nor state exceptions, nor show 
where his teaching was limited on this side 
and that by the conditions of life. He put the 
principles into the possession of his disciples, 
trusting them fully to work out their life pro- 
gramme in harmony with what he had said. 
No teacher ever so trusted his followers. He 
sought to give them his point of view, and 
was confident of the result. His thought 
moved in the highest realms. His themes 
were sufficiently sublime to fill his followers 
with a distaste for everything faulty, unworthy 



CHARACTERISTICS OF JESUS* TEACHING. 95 

and debasing. He spoke of God, of truth, of 
beauty, of holiness, of life, of love, of the 
majesty of the soul and the tragedy of sin, of 
the j udgment and of hope. He was the world's 
true and final prophet, because he spoke the 
final and absolute truth. Many of his state- 
ments have the peculiar value of world truths 
never before uttered, never to be obscured. 
He saw into the heart of the universe and out 
of that vision spoke words which disclose to 
us the secrets of all spiritual life. " Ask and 
ye shall receive " (Mt. vii: 7), is not the par- 
ticular and partial promise of a teacher to his 
followers that they shall have their desires 
fulfilled, but the utterance of a universal truth 
that the man who asks does receive. Similar 
is the force of Jesus' words regarding spiritual 
worship (Jn. iv: 23, 24), the joy of giving 
(Acts xx: 35), the blessedness of humility (Mt. 
v: 3), and many other themes. These qualities 
in the person and teaching of Jesus give him a 
place in the world's thought approached by 
no other, and cause all who study his charac- 
ter to say with those who saw him in Galilee: 
1 ' This is of a truth the prophet that should 
come into the world " (Jn. vi: 14). 

Review: i. In what two ways did Jesus teach ? 
What care did he take to have his words preserved ? 



96 LIFE AND TEACHINGS OF JESUS. 

Have any of them been lost? 2. How did Jesus secure 
audiences ? What was his usual manner in teaching? 
In what was he interested ? 3. How did Jesus' teach- 
ing differ in form from that of to-day? What are 
some of Jesus' figures of speech ? Which class of Old 
Testament teachers did Jesus most resemble? What 
are some of his proverb sayings? 4. What is the 
distinction between a fable and a parable? Why did 
Jesus use stories or parables? What two purposes 
did they serve ? What are some of the most interest- 
ing of Jesus' parables? 5. Into what three forms 
are Jesus' methods of teaching divided? How ac- 
count for the two forms of the sermon on the mount? 
In which Gospel are the conversations most numer- 
ous? With whom did Jesus have controversies? 6. 
What is meant by adaptation? How did he reach 
the people he taught? What use did he makeofo 1 der 
ideas and phrases? How did he treat the ordinary 
mistakes of the time regarding nature, etc. On what 
principle did he thus use the language of the time? 
7. In what manner did the authority of Jesus show 
itself? How did he compare himself with Old Testa- 
ment writers? What made his message so powerful? 
Why did Jesus use startling statements? What are 
some of these? How are they to be interpreted? 8. 
How does Jesus sternness appear? How did the com- 
mon people feel in his presence? Why did he give 
larger credit to some open sinners than to some of 
the religious leaders ? Why did he withhold a portion 
of his teachings ? In what other way did Jesus teach? 
9. On what themes did Jesus speak? How did his 
teaching differ from that of the Old Testament? 
Why did Jesus not argue with men ? How did he mani- 
fest his confidence in the disciples? In what regard 
is Jesus the final teacher and prophet of the world? 



JESUS' TEACHING REGARDING GOD. 97 

CHAPTER II. 

JESUS' TEACHING REGARDING GOD. 

i. The most important element in the 
message of any prophet is his teaching con- 
cerning God. The whole process of revela- 
tion is a divine endeavor to put man into pos- 
session of the truth regarding the character 
and purposes of God. The conception of God, 
therefore, which any prophet possesses will be 
the starting point and the determining factor 
in his message. If one comes in the name of 
God without some true understanding of the 
divine nature, he may w r ell spare his utterance 
on other themes; the essential element will be 
lacking. A study of the great prophets of the 
Old Testament discloses a true conception of 
God at the heart of their message. Each per- 
ceived some leading element in the divine 
character which needed emphasis in his own 
time, and upon this laid the stress of his teach- 
ing. With Amos the fundamental doctrine 
is the righteousness of God, his fidelity to the 
principles of justice; and therefore the cer- 
tainty of punishment upon those who violate 
the divine law, which is not an arbitrary de- 
cree, but the declaration of what is essentially 



98 LIFE AND TEACHINGS OF JESUS. 

right and necessary. Hosea, by means of his 
personal experience, had come to understand 
the power and patience of affection, and with 
him the divine love, long-suffering and ex- 
haustless, is the leading theme. Isaiah, through 
his vision of God (Isa vi) came to the per- 
ception of the divine holiness, the ethical char- 
acter of Jehovah as the norm of all purity and 
truth. His name for God is therefore the Holy 
One of Israel (Isa. iv: 24; v: 16; x: 20), and 
he demands the same ethical qualities in those 
who worship God (Isa. i: 16, 17; iv: 3). These 
great prophets, who did so much to fashion 
the higher thought of the nation regarding 
God, illustrate the function of all prophecy in 
this regard. Their interpretation of the divine 
character w r as the most fundamental element 
in their teaching. 

2. When Jesus appeared he took up the 
prophetic conception of God and raised it to 
its highest terms. First, he recognized the 
being of God as so simple and elementary a 
fact that it needed no proof. He never argued 
the reality of the divine existence. The fact 
to him w r as axiomatic, more evident than any 
demonstration could be. Jesus lived in the 
presence of God. The atmosphere of the 
divine life was about him. This fact is of im- 



JRSUS' TEACHING REGARDING GOD. 99 

mense significance, for it takes us beyond the 
realm of any formal teaching into the region 
of Jesus' own personal experience. He felt 
the necessity and the reality of God's presence; 
and all men, whatever their views of the 
nature and work of Jesus, are compelled to 
admit that he knew more of God than any 
other teacher the world has seen. From this 
starting point, the teaching of Jesus regarding 
God is seen to be stripped of any merely specu- 
lative qualities, and to rest upon the abiding 
foundations of absolute knowledge. Jesus 
began where the prophets stopped. He took 
up their great doctrines of the righteousness, 
holiness and love of God, and fused them into 
one; and to this essentially old, yet practically 
new conception of God he applied a name 
which stands as perhaps the most precious 
contribution of Jesus to the world's religious 
vocabulary — Fatherhood. It is true that the 
relation of Israel to God had been represented 
under the terms of fatherhood and sonship 
(Ex. iv: 22; Hos xi: i), but only in a formal 
manner, and with so limited a significance that 
the words never influenced the thought of the 
people, to whom God w 7 as king much more 
than father (Ps. v: 2; xxiv: 10; xxix: 10). 
But Jesus took up the word and made it the 



100 LIFE AND TEACHINGS OF JESUS. 

center of all his teaching regarding God. By 
so doing he at once singled out love as the 
most notable element in the divine life. All 
that human fatherhood at its best could mean, 
this and much more is true of God in his re- 
lation to his children (Mt. vii: 9-1 1; Lu. xi: 
11-13). The love of God is exhaustless. It 
reaches to the uttermost. It goes out after the 
wandering with a yearning tenderness that 
knows no bounds. The whole message of the 
gospel is love. The coming of the Christ was 
the expression of divine affection (Jn. iii: 16). 
Yet love, as disclosed in God's character, is not 
a mere sentiment, which allows sin to go un- 
rebuked, but is a power which permits disci- 
pline and correction. And here the highest 
element in love is revealed. God is too merci- 
ful to divorce sin from its consequences. Divine 
love sets the penalties of evil in the laws of the 
universe, but these penalties are redemptive. 
Only as man resists and rejects the divine love 
does he fall under these its scourges. He must 
make his own choices. He has the privilege 
of remaining under chastisements of violated 
law if he will. In a moral universe no power 
can compel a man to do right. That must be 
the result of his deliberate choice. So in 
Jesus' teaching the idea of God as Father is 



JESUS' TEACHING REGARDING GOD. lOl 

never in danger of losing its true dignity, 
where love and discipline go hand in hand. 
No father can truly love who ruins his child 
by soft-hearted indulgence. It is still love 
that restrains or rebukes. 

3. Jesus starts with the thought of God 
as his own Father. In an especial sense God 
sustains to him this relation. He often uses 
such language as, " My Father worketh hith- 
erto, and I work" (Jn. v : 17), " He that doeth 
the will of my Father" (Mt. vii : 21), "Him 
will I confess before my Father" (Mt. x: 32), 
"All things are delivered me of my Father" 
(Mt. xi : 27) , and frequently in prayer addresses 
God as Father. It was this claim which 
angered the Jews (Jn. v: 18). But Jesus did 
not exhaust the meaning of the divine Father- 
hood in his own relations to God, but applied 
the same language to all men. In his teaching, 
addressing all classes, not only the disciples, 
but the multitude, including scribes, Pharisees, 
artisans, peasants, publicans, and criminals, he 
habitually spoke of God as "Our Father" 
(Mt. vi: 9; Lu. xi: 2), "Your Father' ' (Mt. 
v: 16; x 129), "Thy Father " (Mt. vi : 6, 18). 
There is no room for a merely national and 
exclusive claim to son ship on the part of any 
class — all are alike children of God (Mt. viii : 



102 LIFE AtfD TEACHINGS OF JESUS. 

ii, 12). Even sinners are included in the list 
of those of whom God is the Father. Jesus* 
ministry was particularly in their behalf. He 
came not to call the righteous, but sinners, 
(Mk. ii: 17). The former were not conscious 
of need ; the latter recognized it. When the 
Pharisees perceived the tendency of Jesus' 
teaching to recognize the classes they had ex- 
cluded from the divine love, they were in- 
dignant (Lu. xv : 1-2). They said, as those of 
pharisaic spirit always do, that such breadth of 
love and recognition to sinners made of no 
avail their pretentions to special favor. To 
make the teaching respecting God's universal 
Fatherhood still more emphatic for their bene- 
fit, Jesus told the three stories of the lost 
sheep, the lost coin, and the lost son (Lu. xv). 
Here there is a growing emphasis upon the 
past relation of the thing lost and the one who 
searches. The sheep belonged to the shep- 
herd, but had strayed ; the coin was the wo- 
man's, but was lost ; the son had never ceased 
to be a son, but had wandered from the father's 
house. Nothing could invalidate this funda- 
mental relation, though the son might deny it, 
and refuse to live in the father's presence. And 
this reveals the point at which the line is to be 
drawn. All men are children of God, and are 



JESUS' TEACHING REGARDING GOD. 103 

loved by him ; but not all recognize the fact 
and live in accordance therewith. Those alone 
who have the characteristics of God can be 
called in any complete sense his children. So 
Jesus names certain qualities which express 
the divine likeness and make one worthy to be 
called a child of God. Those w T ho make peace 
have this honor (Mt. v:9); love toward 
enemies promotes the quality of sonship (Mt. 
v: 45), for it discloses a likeness to the char- 
acter of God (Lu. vi : 36). 

4 In this thought of Fatherhood which 
voiced itself so often in Jesus' teaching and 
found its most familiar expression in the open- 
ing words of the universal prayer (Mt. vi : 9), 
is found the true basis for a doctrine of human 
brotherhood. As men recognize their common 
relation to the Father in heaven they will per- 
ceive their relations and obligations to each 
other. No scheme of human fraternity can 
abide which does not go down to this founda- 
tion. There can be no brotherhood of man 
which does not recognize the Fatherhood of 
God. 



Review: i. What element is fundamental in 
the teaching of every prophet? What were the lead- 
ing ideas of Amos, Hosea and Isaiah? What new 
name for God did Isaiah use ? 2. How was Jesus' 



104 LIFE AND TEACHINGS OF JESUS. 

teaching concerning God related to that of the 
prophets ? Why did he not try to prove the existence 
of God? What was Jesus' name for God? What 
quality does this emphasize? Does this love of God 
imply a disregard of sin on his part? 3. Where did 
Jesus start in his teaching of divine Fatherhood ? 
How far did he extend the idea? How can evil men 
be called children of God? What parable especially 
teaches the universiality of God's Fatherhood? In 
what two senses may one be a child of God? 4. 
What bearing has the idea of God's Fatherhood upon 
human relations? What is the foundation of a true 
doctrine of human brotherhood ? 



CHAPTER III. 

JESUS' TEACHING REGARDING HIMSELF. 

i. Jesus maintained a singular reserve in 
his utterances regarding himself, especially 
during the earlier period of his ministry. The 
synoptic Gospels contain but few statements 
on this point. The fourth Gospel presents 
much more material. Jesus did not talk about 
himself; he simply showed himself to men and 
permitted them to form their own conclusions 
concerning him. It was essential to the suc- 
cess of his work that men, and particularly the 
disciples, should judge of his nature from his 



JESUS* TEACHING REGARDING HIMSELF. 105 

conduct and teachings, not from direct state- 
ments of his. Therefore he said little of him- 
self, and even the names he assumed were of 
such general character that their deeper sig- 
nificance dawned but slowly on men's minds. 
It is true that he permitted himself to be ad- 
dressed by Nathanael with titles which had 
the profoundest meaning to the speaker (Jn. 
i: 49), and he even directly informed the woman 
of Samaria that he was the Messiah (Jn. iv: 25, 
26). But these instances, though early in his 
career, were in purely individual interviews, 
and were only regarded as significant in the 
light of subsequent events. 

2. In what manner Jesus' conception of 
his nature and mission began, we are not in- 
formed. Somewhere during the years at Naz- 
areth the Messianic consciousness began to 
impress him. Its beginnings would naturally 
associate themselves with his sinlessness. That 
he was different from other men in this regard 
must have been a fact recognized by him as of 
profound significance. Its meaning could 
only have been made clear gradually. When 
John preached in the wilderness, the echoes of 
his ministry reached Jesus in Galilee, and he 
hastened to show his interest in the new move- 
ment by appearing among the people who were 



106 LIFE AND TEACHINGS OF JEStJS. 

pressing forward at John's command, and de- 
manding baptism at his hands. In this act, 
which Jesus recognized as unnecessary for 
him in the sense in which others were enjoined 
to its performance (Mt. iii: 14, 15), he for- 
mally dedicated himself to the will of God, 
whatever that will might be, and in the same 
hour the divine voice made formal announce- 
ment of his nature and mission. This consti- 
tuted the call of Jesus to his work. Into the 
region of his consciousness regarding himself 
it is impossible to penetrate through the re- 
serve of his teachings, but we know that the 
sense of a unique and tender relation to God, 
unclouded by the presence of sin, was an 
abiding factor in his life, and sets him at once 
in a separate category from all others. " Which 
of you convicteth me of sin?" he said to the 
Jews (Jn. viii: 46), and of the Father he said, 
" I do always the things that are pleasing to 
him" (Jn. viii: 29). 

3. The titles which Jesus applied to him- 
self are significant. Of these the earliest and 
most common was "Son of man." He uses 
it of himself very many times. Like most of 
the expressions used by Jesus this was already 
familiar to Jewish ears. It was a Hebraism 
meaning simply man, a representative of the 



JESUS' TEACHING REGARDING HIMSELF. 107 

race. In the Old Testament it occurs more 
than once. The psalmist cries, 

" What is man that thou art mindful of him, 
And the son of man that thou visitest him " 
(Ps. viii:4; cf. Jobxxv:6; Ps. lxxxiiy, cxliv: 3), 

where the parallelism shows the two ex- 
pressions "man" and "son of man" to be 
equivalent. The same words are applied to 
Ezekiel as the usual name by which he is ap- 
proached by the divine voice (Ezek. ii: i; iv : 
1; v: 1, etc). In the visions of the book of 
Daniel a being came with the clouds of heaven, 
having the form of a son of man, i. e., a human 
form, as differing from the beasts of former 
visions (Dan. vii 11-14). In the explanation 
which follows, this figure is shown to be a 
personification of the saints of the Most High, 
i.e., the Jewdsh people (Dan. vii: 18, 21, 27). 
Thus the meaning of the words in the days of 
Jesus was " a man,' ' "a human being.' ' Jesus 
took this indefinite name and applied it to him- 
self, thereby making it at once personal. As 
used by him it had two values. First, it stood 
for the reality of his human life. He was a 
man among men, with all the characteristics 
of human nature save sin. He suffered from 
hunger and thirst (Mt. xxi : 18, 19; xxvii: 
48) ; he rejoiced and sorrowed (L,u. x : 21 ; Mt. 



108 LIFE AND TEACHINGS OF JESUS. 

xxvi : 38) ; lie was limited in knowledge and 
power (Mk. xiii : 22; Mt. xx:33); he was 
tempted in all points as we are (Mt. iv: 1-11; 
:xxvi: 36-46; Heb. iv : 15); he recognized God 
as alone good (Mk. x: 18), and he prayed often 
to the Father. All these facts emphasize the 
real humanity of Jesus. But the title had still 
another meaning. He was The Son of man. 
No one else was like him. He represented 
the race in a special manner. He was The 
Man, the ideal man. His life represents hu- 
manity at its highest level ; not an impossible 
dream, but an ideal for whose attainment one 
should strive. Jesus felt that it was perfectly 
possible for men to be like himself, and thus 
to be like God (Mt. v : 48). It may take time 
to reach this ideal, but the process can be 
begun at once. Je-us thus represents man- 
kind. His fortunes were bound up in those of 
the race. He was not simply a Jew. No 
nationality could include him. He was the 
universal man. A third meaning of the ex- 
pression Son of man is to be seen in its Mes- 
sianic significance as used by Jesus, and will 
be mentioned in the next paragraph. 

4. A second title which Jesus recognized 
as belonging rightfully to him, though he less 
frequently claimed it, was "the Messiah.' ' 



JESUS' TEACHING REGARDING HIMSELF. 109 

Its meaning in Hebrew was the Anointed One, 
and the Greek word which was generally used 
in the expression of the idea was " Christ.' ' 
The latter is therefore to be understood as a 
title in all the earlier New Testament history, 
including the life of our Savior. It only be- 
came a proper name after its earlier Jewish 
significance had been somewhat lost in the 
larger ministries of advancing Christianity. 
The term " anointed' ' had been used of 
kings and priests in the Old Testament times, 
referring to their consecration with oil. It 
then came to be applied to the golden age in 
the future, when God should dwell among his 
people; and at last, when in the grow T th of 
prophecy a representative both of the nation 
and of God was promised to stand as the con- 
spicuous figure of this coming age of prosper- 
ity and peace, to him the title was applied, 
and this expected one was familiarly spoken of 
as the Messiah. This idea of the personal 
Messiah finds utterance chiefly in the extra- 
canonical books, written in the period immed- 
iately preceding the coming of Jesus, especial- 
ly such books as Enoch and- Baruch. The 
word was therefore in the air when our Lord 
began his ministry. At his baptism he was 
anointed with the Holy Spirit and with power 



110 LIFE AND TEACHINGS OF JESUS. 

(Acts x: 38), and so was made fully conscious 
that he was in truth the looked-for Messiah, 
though far different in character from the one 
popularly expected. For this very reason, no 
doubt, he rarely alluded to himself by this 
name. It was mingled with so many misap- 
prehensions in the minds of the people, that 
the identification of the quiet teacher from 
Nazareth with their expected warrior king 
would have shocked and angered them. Only 
rarely therefore was the truth spoken. Na- 
thanael understood it, in part at least, when he 
called Jesus the king of Israel (Jn. i: 49). To 
the woman of Samaria Jesus entrusted the 
truth (Jn. iv: 26). At Nazareth he claimed 
the fulfillment of Messianic promises in him- 
self (Lu. iv: 16-21). To John, who in his 
doubt had sent to enquire whether he was the 
expected one, Jesus returned an assuring an- 
swer, pointing to his works as proof of his 
mission (Mt. xi: 2-6). Still these had been 
scarcely more than private and individual ex- 
pressions. When his ministry approached 
its crisis he secured a declaration of faith from 
the disciples, whose perception of his Messiah- 
ship had developed by association with him 
(Mt. xvi: 16). Even then he warned them 
against making the fact public till after his 



JESUS' TEACHING REGARDING HIMSELF. Ill 

resurrection (Mt. xvi: 20). At last, on the 
Sunday preceding his death he permitted the 
multitude to conduct him in triumph into Je- 
rusalem, hailing him as the son of David, 
which could be understood in no other sense 
than as referring to the Messianic king (Mt. 
xxi: 1-11). Previously other individuals had 
applied this title to him (Mt. ix: 27; xv: 22; 
xx: 30), but it is probable that he did not en- 
courage its use. Henceforth the purposes of 
his life could be fully declared, and to tl e 
high priest, Caiaphas, who demanded that he 
should make known his claims, Jesus declared 
in the most explicit language the fact that he 
was the Messiah (Mt. xxvi: 63,64). In tie 
book of Enoch the title Son of man is applied 
to the Messiah. It is probable that this arose 
out of the popular application of Dan vii: 13 
to the expected king. To this belief Jesus re- 
fers in his words to the high priest, in which 
the figures of the vision in Daniel are used to 
describe the coming of Jesus to judgment. 
Similar is the language of Matt, xxiv: 30. 
« These show that in some cases Jesus made 
use of the words Son of man as expressing his 
Messianic ministry, and at such points the 
two titles meet and blend. To Pilate he ad- 
mitted, in a well known Hebrew form of 



112 LIFE AND TEACHINGS OF JESUS. 

speech, his claim to be king (Mk. xv: 2), 
which the governor saw could not be con- 
strued as political ambition, and which we may 
see to be identical with his Messianic purpose. 
Without the use of any title Jesus frequently 
made claims for himself which only the work 
and office of the Messiah could justify. Among 
such claims were those of power to forgive sin 
(Mk.ii: 1-12); of being greater than the 
temple or the Sabbath (Mt. xii : 6, 8); of be- 
ing greater than Abraham (Jn. viii : 56, 58); 
Moses (Jn. i: 17 ; Mt. v : 21, 22), or Solomon 
(Mt. xii: 42); of being the sole teacher and 
master (Mt. xxiii : 8). He made himself the 
center and the absorbing theme of thought. 
He commanded men to follow him (Mt. iv : 13- 
22); he demanded for himself greater love 
than that bestowed on one's nearest and dearest 
relatives (Mt. x : 37); he promised rest to those 
who labored (Mt. xi : 28-30); he said he was 
the way, the truth, the life (Jn. xiv: 6), the 
bread of life (Jn. vi: 35), the resurrection and 
the life (Jn. xi: 25); he said all authority had 
been given him (Mt. xxviii : 20), and that he 
should be the judge of all men (Mt. vii: 22; 
xxv : 31-46). 

5. The third title Jesus applied to him- 
self was ' 'Son of God. ' ' This is found chiefly 



JESUS* TEACHING REGARDING HIMSELF. 113 

in the Gospel of John, though it occurs in the 
synoptics. It has been observed already that 
Jesus applied the idea of Fatherhood to God 
in a universal sense. Yet this never obscures 
the uniqueness of the sense in which he regarded 
himself as the Son of God. Like the name Son 
of man it bore a close relation to the Messianic 
function, but its emphasis was upon the nature 
of Jesus as intimately and ethically united with 
the life of God, and sustained by continual in- 
tercourse with him. The locus classicus for 
this theme is John v. There Jesus points out 
his unity with the Father in service (17), 
power (21) and honor (23), his dependence 
upon the Father (19, 26), his love for the 
Father (20), and his desire to do the Father's 
will (30). He said that he was one with the 
Father (Jn. x: 30), which the Jews rightly 
understood to mean that he claimed to be God 
(Jn. x: 33). This assumption of deity on the 
part of Jesus is still further shown in his refer- 
ences to pre-existence with God. He came 
forth from God and would return to him (Jn. 
xvi: 28); he prayed to be glorified with the 
glory he had with the Father before the worlds 
were (Jn. xvii: 5). Though but a young man, 
he said he was before Abraham (Jn. viii: 58); 
and he accepted as appropriate the confession 



114 LIFE AND TEACHINGS OF JESUS. 

of Thomas, when he exclaimed " My Lord and 
my God " (Jn. xx: 28). That Jesus taught his 
own divine character in a sense never claimed 
for any other teacher is thus clearly shown. 
He was God manifest in flesh. He was the 
expression of the divine life in terms of flesh 
and blood . He was the embodiment of hum an- 
ity at its highest level, and of the life of God 
in its most human form. In him God and 
man forever meet. 

6. Perhaps the feature of his work on 
which Jesus laid the greatest stress in his 
teaching was his approaching death. That 
he made no reference to it in the earlier months 
of his ministry is sufficiently explained by that 
reserve with which he introduced themes for 
which the disciples were unprepared. He 
hrst brought it to their attention on the occa- 
sion of Peter's confession (Mt. xvi: 21-28), and 
from this time on he frequently alluded to it 
(Mk. ix: 12, 30-32). During the closing weeks 
of his life the shadow of the cross was ever 
upon his path (Jn. vii: 25; viii: 21; xi: 53, 54; 
Mk. x: 38). He spoke to the Pharisees of 
the death of the only son of the owner of the 
vineyard, and referred thereby to his own 
death (Mt. xxi: 37-39). He kept the Passover 
with the disciples, and at its close he aske4 



JESUS 1 TEACHING REGARDING HIMSELF. 115 

them to remember his death in the observance 
of the memorial supper (Mk. xiv: 22-25), of 
which the emblems, the bread and wine, repre- 
sented his body and blood. He regarded his 
death as the natural culmination of his life, 
prophetic in its character, tragic in its close 
(Lu. xiii: 31-33). It was to be expected that 
one who bore frank witness to the truth 
would meet death (Lu. xi: 49-51). But the 
death of Jesus was not regarded by him as 
standing alone. It was the climax and full 
disclosure of his life. By it the redemptive 
purpose of his whole ministry was brought to 
its culmination. The bruising of his body, 
and the pouring out of his blood were signifi- 
cant tokens of his total self- surrender to the 
purpose of man's redemption, the way to which 
was opened by the sacrificial career of Jesus. 
Yet he nowhere connects his death with the 
blood offerings of the old covenant, but rather 
with the sealing of the new covenant between 
God and humanity. Closely associated with the 
theme of his death in our Lord's teaching was 
the resurrection, of which the meaning, as em- 
phasized by him, was the victory over all oppos- 
ing power, and the vindication of the purposes 
of his life. Such a life could not be overcome 
by death. He was Lord of life and death alike. 



116 LIFE ANt> TEACHINGS OF JESUS. 

Review: i. Why did not Jesus openly disclose 
his nature and purposes from the first? On what oc- 
casions did he mention the matter, or recognize the 
words of others as bearing upon it ? 2. When did 
Jesus first realize his Messianic character? In what 
way would it first impress him ? How did he show 
interest in John's work ? Did he feel that he needed 
baptism? What did he say of his sinlessness? 3. 
What did the words " Son of man " mean in the Old 
Testament? In what sense did Jesus apply the title 
to himself? In what two aspects of his work was he 
the Son of man? 4. What is the meaning of Messiah? 
From what custom did the word arise ? What is the 
Greek word which means "anointed?" In what 
two senses was the word " Christ" applied to Jesus in 
the New Testament age? What did the Jewish people 
expect in their coming Messiah ? In what books is 
the idea most dwelt upon? How did Jesus realize 
these hopes? Did he claim to be the Messiah? What 
other claims did he make for himself? 5. In which 
Gospel is the term Son of God applied most frequently 
to Jesus? What did this phrase signify? How does 
Jesus represent God and man? 6. What feature of 
Jesus* work did he regard as of great importance? 
Why did he speak of his death only at a late period 
in his ministry? How did he request the disciples, 
to remember his death ? Is the death of Jesus to be^ 
taken apart from his life ? What was the significance 
of his death ? How did he regard the resurrection ? 



THE KINGDOM OF GOD. 117 

CHAPTER IV. 

THE KINGDOM OF GOD. 

I. This may be called Jesus' great theme. 
He spoke of it continually. Sometimes he 
called it the kingdom of God, and sometimes 
the kingdom of heaven. In the synoptic 
Gospels these terms occur far more frequently 
than in the fourth Gospel. The preaching of 
John the Baptist centered in this theme, and 
Jesus began his public ministry by taking up 
a work like that of John, and preaching that 
the kingdom of heaven was at hand (Mt. iv: 17). 
His discourses were full of this subject. The 
references to the kingdom in the sermon on 
the mount are very numerous. The text of 
that sermon was ' ' Except your righteousness 
shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes 
and Pharisees ye shall in no wise enter into 
the kingdom of heaven " (Mt. v: 20). In the 
greater portion of Jesus' parables some phase 
of the kingdom was the theme. "The king- 
dom of heaven is like a man that sowed good 
seed in his field" (Mt. xiii: 24); "The king- 
dom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed " 
(Mt. xiii: 31); "The kingdom of heaven is 



118 LIFE AND TEACHINGS OF JESUS. 

likened unto a certain king" (Mt. 22: 2); 
11 Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened 
unto ten virgins' ' (Mt. xxv: 1); such are the 
opening words of many of them, and even 
where the reference is not direct, the theme is 
still the same. When he sent forth tbe twelve 
on their preaching tour, he said to them, " As 
ye go, preach, saying, " The kingdom of heaven 
is at hand" (Mt. ix: 7). When the seventy 
went out, he bade them say, " The kingdom of 
God is come nigh unto you' ' (Lu. x: 9). Thus 
it was evermore the subject of his thought and 
speech. 

2. Like many other phrases he used, he 
did not coin this expression, but found it in 
the vocabulary of the people when he began 
his work. Its origin lay in a somewhat remote 
past. The prophets had spoken in strong 
terms of the national sin, and predicted judg- 
ment as about to fall. Sinners would be de- 
stroyed, the nation purged, a remnant of good 
people would be left and then should be ushered 
in the period of peace and righteousness, the 
" golden age." This was the hope of all the 
great prophets (see Amos, Isaiah, Micah, Jere- 
miah, passim. The doctrine of the " Day of 
the Lord," the time of judgment upon the un- 
repentant, is not more fundamental to prophecy 



THE KINGDOM OF GOD. 119 

than the idea of a time of blessedness that is 
to follow. That age of happiness was to be 
under the reign of a king of the house of David 
(Isa. xi: 1-5). The national life should be more 
glorious than ever, and the strife between man 
and beast should end in perfect haimony (Isa. 
xi: 6 9). These dreams were never realized in 
their literal form. The nation went into cap- 
tivity, and lost most of its hope for a political 
future; and when the few colonists returned to 
rebuild Jerusalem, the prospect was so meagre 
and dreary that the hope was pushed on into 
the indefinite future and meantime took up 
into itself apocalyptic elements quite foreign 
to the prophetic thought of earlier years. The 
literature that grew up in the period preceding 
the days of Jesus was full of these highly col- 
ored expectations of political glory soon to be 
enjoyed — a great king was to arise who should 
lead the armies of Israel to the defeat of 
hostile nations who should gather for a great 
battle against Jerusalem. After the victory, 
the kingdom of God should be established in 
Palestine, and all nations should acknowledge 
its supremacy. This idea had largely dis- 
placed the older prophetic conception of a 
reign of righteousness, and in the days of 
Jesus the kingdom of heaven was associated 



120 LIFE AttD TEACHINGS OF JESUS. 

in popular thought with this revolution, — the 
air was full of this expectation. 

3. The preaching of John and Jesus made 
use of the phrase kingdom of God; but in 
an independent manner. John went back to 
the theocratic ideas of the prophets for his 
starting point. He emphasized the element 
of judgment. To him the kingdom of heaven 
was chiefly what the prophets had described 
as the "day of the Lord," i. e., the time of 
judgment upon sin. Filled from his youth 
with the sublime ideas of the prophets, espe- 
cially those of the book of Isaiah, he denounced 
sin in unmeasured terms, and preached that 
message of righteousness which was the 
essence of all prophecy (Mt. xxi: 32). Jesus 
also took up the phrase because it was in the 
air. Its use gave him the means of reaching 
the people, when a new doctrine would have 
failed to attract. Everyone was interested in 
the expected kingdom, and would eagerly 
listen to any one who spoke on that theme. 
If Jesus had been left free to choose a name 
for his chief theme, it may be questioned 
whether he would have chosen this, which 
did not adequately represent his idea. But 
he preferred to take advantage of its hold 
on the public mind, and then gradually impart 



The kingdom of god. 121 

to it his own higher meaning. At first, there- 
fore, he preached the message of John, 
11 Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at 
hand" (Mt. iv: 17). But presently he began 
to explain the nature of the kingdom, and 
since the idea was larger and somewhat plastic, 
he was able to throw every element of his 
teaching into this popular form, and thus pre- 
sent the purely ethical and spiritual sides of 
his ministry while still talking on the most 
interesting theme of the hour. 

4. What then did Jesus mean by the 
phrase, "the kingdom of heaven?" In at- 
tempting to answer this question it must be 
observed that he has nowhere left us a defi- 
nition. He only described phases of the king- 
dom, or the qualities of those who are its 
subjects. It must also be noticed that Jesus 
uses the expression in a variety of senses at 
various times. In a review of these the scope 
of his thought may be suggested: (a) It is 
described as a realm with limits, not of terri- 
torial extent but of moral character. Into it 
one may enter; from it he may find himself ex- 
cluded. Such sayings as the following serve 
to illustrate: "Except your righteousness 
shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes 
and Pharisees, ye shall in no wise enter into 



122 LIFE AND TEACHINGS OP JESUS. 



the kingdom of heaven' ' (Mt. v: 20); " How 
hardly shall they that have riches enter into the 
kingdom of heaven " (Mk. x: 23); "And they 
shall come from the east and the west . . . 
and shall sit down in the kingdom of God " 
(Lu. xiii: 29); "Thou art not far from the 
kingdom of God" (Mk. xii: 34). Into this 
kingdom one enters by a spiritual birth (Jn. 
iii: 3-6); and in it there are varieties of attain- 
ment (Mt, xi: 11; xviii: 4). (b) It is some- 
times described as a collection of persons, pos- 
sessing particular qualities, such as childlike- 
ness (Mk. x: 14). (c) Sometimes it is re- 
garded as a possession, a reward, the 4 'highest 
good." Men are enjoined to "seek first the 
kingdom' ' (Mt. vi: 33). It is likened to a ban- 
quet (Mt. xxii: 2-14). The beatitudes con- 
gratulate certain types of character upon pos- 
sessing the kingdom (Mt. v: 3, 10), and Jesus 
assures the alarmed disciples that it is the 
Father's good pleasure to give them the king- 
dom (Lu. xii: 32). (d) Once more, it is a 
golden age yet to come, which Jesus once de- 
scribes as the "regeneration," or time of trans- 
formation (Mt. xix: 28), and into possession 
of which those who are approved by the Father 
are to enter (Mt. xxvi: 34-36). It will thus 
be seen that the kingdom of heaven eludes 




THE KINGDOM OF GOD. 123 

precise definition, simply because its purposes 
surpass all formal statement. But in general 
it may be said that the term describes the 
reign of righteousness which Jesus came to 
inaugurate; the new spiritual and social order 
whose redemptive influences should work the 
transformation of the world. In the teaching 
of Jesus the formal or institutional side of 
this movement was but little touched upon. 
Jesus said little about the church, but much 
about the kingdom. The apostles after the be- 
ginnings of organization said little about the 
kingdom, but much about the church. The 
church is the visible body to which the king- 
dom gave existence. Jesus provided for it; it 
came into being under apostolic preaching. 
The kingdom is the aggregate of redeemed 
souls and redemptive forces whose ministry 
of salvation is carried forward by the church. 
The kingdom of heaven is the realm of life 
in which the heavenly ideal is realized, in 
which the will of God is done. 

5. Where, then, is the kingdom, and 
when did it begin? It may be answered that 
it is wherever the king is. Jesus is spoken 
of as the king. It is called his kingdom (Mt. 
xiii:4i). It is also the kingdom of the 
Father. " Thy kingdom come " is the prayer 



124 LIFE AND TEACHINGS OF JESUS. 

taught by the Savior (Mt. vi: 4). Paul af- 
firms that the kingship of Jesus is representa- 
tive and temporary, the necessity of the pres- 
ent order, which will come to an end with the 
universal dominion of God (I Cor. xv: 24-28). 
But Jesus is the embodiment of the kingdom. 
Wherever he is, there the kingdom is. "If 
I," said Jesus, u by the spirit of God cast out 
demons, then is the kingdom of God come 
upon you" (Mt. xii:28). The kingdom is 
where there are disciples of Jesus. When the 
seventy went forth they were instructed to say 
in their preaching, "The kingdom of God is 
come nigh unto you" (Lu. x: 9). They 
themselves had brought it. The kingdom is 
not bounded by geographical barriers, but is 
found wherever there are followers of Jesus. 
As to the time of its establishment it may be 
said (a) that it was in the world long before 
the days of Jesus. The whole ministry of the 
Old Testament religion was an earlier stage of 
the kingdom. The theocracy was its expres- 
sion, the nation, which was both state and 
church, was its visible embodiment. Of this 
fact Jesus speaks when he warns the Jews that 
while many shall come from the east and the 
west and sit down with the patriarchs in the 
kingdom of God, yet the sons of the kingdom, 



THE KINGDOM OF GOD. 125 

i. e., the Jewish people, who had long counted 
the kingdom their exclusive possession, shall 
be cast out from the inheritance (Mt. viii: n, 
12). (b) From another point of view the 
kingdom was present in Jesus' day as a recent 
planting, that was rapidly coming to new 
powers (Mk. iv: 26-29). Men were looking 
for its coming, but Jesus said, when asked this 
very question as to the time of its arrival, 
* ' The kingdom of God comes not by watching 
for it as a visible phenomenon, nor can you 
say, Here it is, or There, for as a matter of 
fact, the kingdom is already among you" (Lu. 
xvii : 20, 2 1 ) . The kingdom was then present, 
having been preached since the days of John 
the Baptist (Lu. xvi: 16). The attempt to 
regard it as something external, a new politi- 
cal scheme, was its greatest danger. Yet it 
had suffered just such violence since it began 
to be proclaimed (Mt. xi: 12). Between the 
danger on the one side of being regarded as a 
mere impracticable cloud-land ideal, a mild 
sentimental benevolence, and on the other of be- 
ing identified with social experiments of the 
most radical and violent type, the kingdom of 
heaven has always stood. Its days of suffer- 
ing violence are not past, (c) Once more, it 
might be said that the kingdom was still 



126 LIFE AND TEACHINGS OF JESUS. 

future in Jesus' day. The closing years of the 
Jewish nation and the fall of Jerusalem con- 
stituted a period of immense significance to 
the church, which had now become the visi- 
ble embodiment and representative of the 
kingdom. The day of Pentecost gave oppor- 
tunity for the first formal presentation of the 
great facts of our Lord's passion and resur- 
rection, and at that time the followers of Jesus 
began to organize themselves into a society. 
From this time to the fall of the city the king- 
dom was coming in constantly augmented 
power. Herein lay the fulfilment of Jesus' 
words, "There be some of them that stand 
here, which shall in no wise taste of death till 
they see the Son of man coming in his king- 
dom' ' (Mt. xvi : 28). Referring to the down- 
fall of the city he said, " When ye see these 
things coming to pass, know ye that the king- 
dom of God is nigh" (Lu. xxi : 31). (d) 
From still another point of view the kingdom 
is yet to come. Its fullness has not been re- 
alized. The prayer which Jesus suggested to 
the disciples, "Thy kingdom come," is as ap- 
propiate to day as then, for though the king- 
dom has come in many respects, its dominion 
is far from complete, even in souls and insti- 
tutions nominally under its sway. Of this 



THE KINGDOM OF GOD. 127 

consummation Jesus spoke when he said he 
would eat and drink again with the disciples 
only when the kingdom of God should come 
(Lu. xxii : 18). Those who had rejected him 
would see the patriarchs and prophets in the 
kingdom, but be themselves thrust out (Lu. 
xiii : 28). In that kingdom the righteous 
should shine as the sun (Mt. xiii: 43). 
Under these terms are set forth both the ad- 
vancing power of the cause of the Christ, and 
its final consummation. The Revelator saw 
the city of God coming down to take posses- 
sion of the earth (Rev. xxi). This is but an- 
other view of the growth of the kingdcm in 
the world, till the day come when "the king- 
doms of this world shall become the kingdom 
of our Lord and his Messiah " (Rev. xi: 15). 

6. A most casual glance at the teachings 
of our Lord regarding the subjects of the king- 
dom discloses the fact that the only qualities 
he recognized as entitling one to citizenship 
were ethical and spiritual. A man's possessions 
gave him no advantage in the matter of en- 
trance. In fact riches were a hindrance, as 
likely to divide attention (Mt. xix: 24; Mk. 
x: 23-25). The qualities set forth in the be- 
atitudes are those of highest value in the king- 
dom. Those who are humble and suffer per- 



128 LIFE AND TEACHINGS OB JESUS. 

secution for the cause of righteousness possess 
the kingdom. It is not offered to them as a 
reward. They have it already. Similarly 
necessary are meekness, desire for righteous- 
ness, mercy, purity, peaceableness (Mt. v: 
3-12). Perhaps the trait most frequently com- 
mended is child-likeness, docility, teachable- 
ness (Lu. xviii: 16, 17). The proud have no 
place in the kingdom. The very publicans 
and harlots go in before such (Mt. xxi: 31). 
Men like the scribes and Pharisees, though 
they were the most respected men of their 
time, were the greatest obstacle to the pro- 
gress of the kingdom, because they would 
neither enter nor permit others to do so (Mt. 
xxiii: 13). Nor were men of wavering mind 
fit for the kingdom (Lu. ix: 62). These 
and many other texts which might be cited 
afford proof that Jesus insisted upon character 
as the essential element in citizenship. And 
at the basis of this character he placed the 
quality of faith in himself. Many times he 
emphasizes the necessity of faith in him, both 
for personal blessing and permanent growth 
(Mt. ix: 28; Mk. ix: 23; Mk. xvi:*i6; Lu. viii: 
50; Jn. v: 38). A man's relation to Jesus is 
the index of his character. To accept his lord- 
ship and conform to his programme insures 



THE KINGDOM OF GOD. 129 

the realization of the blessings of the kingdom, 
because it guarantees a Christian character. 
When Jesus was leaving the disciples, he gave 
them a commission to make known to the 
world his programme of life. They were to 
preach the Gospel, the word of the kingdom 
(Mt. xiii: 19). Men were to be made dis- 
ciples, to be asked to believe in Jesus, to turn 
from sin in true repentance, to be baptized as 
the visible sign of their acceptance of his leader- 
ship, and to observe all the instructions left by 
the Master regarding the making of character 
and the accomplishment of his purposes in the 
world (Mt. xxviii: 19, 20; Mk. xvi: 15, 16; 
Lu. xxiv: 46, 47). These final directions 
looked forw r ard to the establishment of the 
church, which was to be the propagating power 
of the kingdom; and it was his promise that 
with these his followers he would abide for- 
ever, a promise realized through the ministry 
of the Holy Spirit (Mt. xxviii: 20). 



Review: i. What is the leading theme in 
Jesus' teaching ? Recall as many passages as possible 
in which this expression occurs. Who preached on 
this subject beside Jesus? 2. Where did Jesus get 
the phrase ? What was the prophetic hope for the 
future? What changed the character of this hope? 
What was the popular idea in Jesus' day ? 3. What 



130 LIFE AND TEACHINGS OF JESUS. 

was the force of John's use of the expression ? In 
what four senses did Jesus employ it? What is 
meant by the kingdom of heaven? How does the 
phrase contrast with the word church? 5. Who is 
the head of the kingdom? Where is the kingdom? 
What four answers may be made to the question as to 
when the kingdom came ? In what sense may we 
pray for the kingdom? 6. What qualities are es- 
sential to membership in the kingdom? Who are 
named as possessing it? Who have no place in it? 
What are the conditions of discipleship which Jesus 
gave his followers? To what did these directions 
look forward ? 



CHAPTER V. 

JESUS' TEACHING REGARDING MAN. 

i . The object upon which Jesus bestowed 
his thought and love was man. To bring man 
into harmony with God was his supreme pur- 
pose. His ministry of miracle and teaching 
had no other end. It follows therefore that 
his conception of the value of man was exalted. 
He taught that all living creatures were pre- 
cious in the sight of the Father, but that man's 
worth was greater beyond comparison (Mt. 
x:3i; xii: 12), and that the whole world 



JESUS' TEACHING REGARDING MAN. 131 

would be a poor exchange for a man's life 
(Mt. xvi: 26). This high regard for man 
showed itself in his love of all classes. For 
the children he showed a beautiful affection, 
and was delighted to have them near him (Mt. 
xviii: 1-6), dwelling upon their value by a ref- 
erence to the Jewish belief that every human 
life had its guardian angel in the divine pres- 
ence (Mt. xviii : 10). He loved men without 
regard to their social rank. The poor found 
in him a constant friend and benefactor (Lu. 
vi:2o; Mt xi:5). The people who were 
most despised in his day, by reason of their oc- 
cupations or their sins, he regarded with a ten- 
derness that sought to make their lives hap- 
pier or save them from their sin. The lost 
things of life were the objects of his redemp- 
tive effort The least of his brethren claimed 
his affection, and was identified in interest 
with himself (Mt. xxv : 40), Since man is 
God's child no one could be without worth to 
him. Beggar and prince are alike in the im- 
age of God, and of infinite value. 

2. But this view of the value of man did 
not obscure in the mind of Jesus the awful- 
ness of human sin. Indeed, no one ever saw 
so clearly as he the dreadful consequences of 
error. Sin is the condition of a soul out of 



132 LIFE AND TEACHINGS OF JEStJg. 

relation with God. In nature, the plant out 
of harmony with its environment withers. 
God is the true environment of the soul, and 
to be out of the atmosphere of his life and love 
is to be in the utmost danger of spiritual death. 
No eye ever saw this danger so clearly as 
Jesus, and he exhausted the vocabulary of 
warning in his protest against the folly and 
awfulness of sin. The figures of speech which 
he used to picture the condition of a soul 
that rejects the love of God are the most sig- 
nificant in the language. He employed such 
figures because the abstract statement of truth 
is never so pointed and convincing as a figure 
of speech that translates the spiritual fact into 
the terms of physical life. He spoke of the 
"far country" (L,u. xv: 13); the "furnace of 
fire ,, and the ' 'outer darkness/ ' where there 
should be "weeping and gnashing of teeth" 
(Mt. xiii: 42, 50; xxiv: 51; xxv:3o); of the 
"worm that dies not and the fire that is not 
quenched" and of "Gehenna, "usually rendered 
"hell" (Mk. ix: 43-50). These figures re- 
ferring, most of them, to the process of con- 
suming the refuse of the city -in the valley of 
Hinnom (Gehenna) below Jerusalem, suffi- 
ciently prove Jesus* estimate of the awfulness 
of sin. No language could be more lurid and 



JESUS r TEACHING REGARDING MAN. 183 

forbidding. He saw that men were inclined 
to forsake God, and yet he had the largest 
faith in their possibility of salvation. His 
optimism contrasts forcibly with his clear vis- 
ion of the ravages of sin. But he alone knew 
the depths of divine love and the power of re- 
demptive agencies in the kingdom. He saw 
that men were out of harmony with God, and 
that this condition extended to the whole race; 
that the nature of man, if left to itself, pro- 
duced only evil things (Mk. vii: 21, 22); that 
the Jewish idea of Satan, a powerful antago- 
nist of God, whose constant effort is the thwart- 
ing of the divine will by temptation of those 
who seek good, was not inadequate to repre- 
sent the fact and force of evil in human life 
(Mt. iv: 10; v:37; Lu. xxii: 31). Yet in face 
of the facts that would suggest an outcome of 
utter failure, Jesus maintained his faith in 
men and his confidence in the final downfall of 
evil (Lu. x: 17, 18). He saw that men were 
not wholly bad (Mt. vii: 11), and in perfect 
confidence that the Gospel was the divine 
power to turn them to righteousness, he sent 
his apostles out into all the world, to make 
for him disciples and followers everywhere 
(Mt. xxviii: 19; Mk. xvi: 15), and expected 
that these future disciples would attain heights 



134 LIFE AND TEACHINGS OF JESUS. 



of glory never hitherto reached by men ( Jn 
xvii: 22, 23). 

3, In Jesus' teaching, man's first relation 
and highest duty is to God. This is implied 
in the thought of the universal Fatherhood of 
God. Sometimes Jesus spoke in terms of this 
relation, and described the duties of men as 
the children of God. At other times he spoke 
in terms of the kingdom, and regarded men as 
subjects, owing obedience to the divine King. 
By means of both figures, however, he reached 
the same end — the obligation of a rational be- 
ing to live in harmony with the Supreme Life, 
God, as well as the happiness to be derived 
from such a relationship. As we have seen, 
Jesus taught tbat the dominant quality in the 
life of God is love. Harmony of soul with 
God, therefore, implies love as the supreme 
and active motive in man's life, and this love 
will go out first of all toward God himself. 
When asked by a scribe to name the chief obli- 
gation in the law, he responded, " Thou shalt 
love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and 
with all thy soul and with all thy mind. This 
is the first and great commandment " (Mt. 
xxii: 37, 38). This love could only be the re- 
sult of a supreme choice of the highest good, 
*and the renunciation of all conflicting affec- 






JESUS* TEACHING REGARDING MAN. 135 

tions. Only a single service can be tolerated; 
u Ye cannot serve God and mammon " (Mt. vi: 
24). This choice of God is not always easy. 
It is often like taking a narrow, difficult and 
less traveled path when a broad, easy and 
thronged highway may be chosen (Mt. vii: 
13, 14). It may require the sacrifice of riches 
(Mk. x: 17-27), the parting with friends and 
relatives (Mt. x: 37), or even the loss of life 
(Mt. x: 21); but the gain is beyond computa- 
tion, both in this w r orld and in eternal life (Mt. 
xix: 29; Mk. x: 29). Growing out of the 
normal relation of the soul to God there are cer- 
tain means of keeping alive this vital connection 
with God. Chief among these Jesus placed 
union with himself, under the figure of a vine 
and its branches (Jn. xv.) To abide in him is 
to be united with the Father, for he and the 
Father are one. Prayer promotes the same 
harmony of life. Jesus used often to pray, 
and his example is as potent as his teachings. 
The Jews had been accustomed to set forms of 
prayer, and John gave his disciples such a 
rubric. So one day the twelve came to Jesus 
asking for a form of prayer which he would 
approve(Lu. xi: 1-4). The brief series of peti- 
tions which he suggested, though never in- 
tended to be a formal prayer, touches all the 



136 LIFE AND TEACHINGS OF JESUS. 

angles of human need and aspiration, and hag 
become the universal prayer (Mt. vi: 9-13). 
That God is ever willing to Rive, more willing 
than we are to ask, was emphasized in the 
utterances of our Lord; but even upon the 
lowest plane of request, prayer has a value and 
brings divine response. Even men indifferent 
and selfish will give if importuned; how 
much more the loving Father (L,u. xi: 5-13; 
xviii : 1 - 8) . Prayer must not be formal and repe- 
titious, but spontaneous and sincere (Mt. vi: 7, 8). 
Prayer is thus seen to be less the mere request 
for blessings, th?n the opening of the soul to 
receive those abundant bestowals which God 
ever waits to impart as we are ready to receive 
them. Closely connected with prayer and its 
results is the duty of faith in God and in Jesus 
as the embodiment of the life of God. This 
belief in himself on the part of others was not 
infrequently made the condition upon which 
works of healing could be performed by him 
(Mt. ix: 2, 22; xv: 28), and he insisted that all 
things are possible to him that believes (Mt. 
xvii: 20; xxi: 21; Mk. xi: 22). Faith is the 
condition of all aggressive service. It is the 
ground of Christian life, for we cannot love 
God without first possessing faith in him, and 
in the Christ who reveals him. Confidence 



JESUS 1 TEACHING REGARDING MAN. 137 

and fearlessness are also qualities which result 
from the right relation to God. No external 
opposition could disconcert one who is doing 
God's will (Mt. x: 16-33); the outcome of his 
service is certain (L,u. xii: 32). There should 
be therefore no undue anxiety regarding the 
smaller issues of life; the supreme good once 
obtained, all else comes with it (Mt. vi: 33). 
Once more, among the duties of man to God is 
faithfulness, which includes both fidelity to a 
trust committed, and watchfulness or alertness, 
readiness for the hour of peril (L,u. xii : 37-46), 
Such parables as those of the ten virgins (Mt. 
xxv: 1-13), and the talents (IyU. xix; n-27) 
impress the necessity of these elements in a 
normal chararter. 

4. Closely related to one's duty to God is 
that which he owes to man. Jesus taught that 
these were not to be separated in a valid ad- 
justment of responsibilities. In his response 
to the scribe regarding the great command- 
ment of the law he declared that love to one's 
neighbor, i. e., to any one who needs help, is 
like unto love to God in importance (Mt. 
xxii: 39). In his plan of saving the world he 
regarded the individual man as the unit of 
power. Men were no longer to be counted in 
masses, as hitherto, but as separate personal- 



138 LIFE AND TEACHINGS OF JESUS. 

ities, each capable of redemptive service in 
society. Jesus discovered the individual. His 
followers were to be the salt of the earth, the 
light of the world (Mt. v: 13-16). But the 
secret of their saving power was to be the act- 
ive principle of love in the heart. The simp- 
lest statement of this quality is found in the 
so-called " Golden Rule" (Mt. vii: 12), which 
Jesus declared to be the epitome of the law 
and the prophets. All that they had taught 
was summed up in this brief gem-like saying. 
But Jesus went still further in his definition of 
the necessity of love to one's neighbors, which 
he showed, in the parable of the good Samar- 
itan (Xu. x: 25-37), did not mean merely 
those living near, but all who have need of 
help. He rebuked as sinful every attempt to 
evade the duty of fidelity in the relations of 
child to parent, (Mk. vii: 10-13), or of husband 
and wife, (Mk. x: 2-12), which he declared to 
be indissoluble. He took a position still more 
radical in his utterances regarding the treat- 
ment of enemies. The law had never gone 
further than to inculcate the love of those re- 
lated by ties of kindred or association. Jesus 
declared it to be a solemn duty to love all men; 
and to make this teaching impressive, he select- 
ed for illustration that class of persons to love 



JESUS' TEACHING REGARDING MAN. 139 

whom requires the hardest struggle — one's 
enemies. He showed that there is no 
credit in loving those who are dear to us. 
Persons who make no pretense to godlikeness 
do so much. More than this is to be expected 
of those who would resemble the Father in 
character (Mt.v: 43-48) . The duty of forgiveness 
grows out of this obligation to love even one's 
enemies. One should not pray to be forgiven 
unless he held himself in a forgiving attitude 
toward those who had wronged him (Mt. vi: 
1 2) . This forgiving spirit must go all lengths, 
for it is the expression of a love which seeks 
the salvation of the offender (Mt.xviii: 21, 22). 
An unforgiving spirit grows only on the soil 
of pride and selfishness, and is utterly regard- 
less of its own vast debt to God (Mt. xviii : 23- 
35). Under the law, to which Jesus paid 
reverence as a Jew, the highest obligation was 
that of sacrifice. But Jesus teaches that if a 
man comes to the very altar-side with his offer- 
ing, and there recalls that there is a cause of 
disagreement between himself and another, 
no matter whether he or the other is the ag- 
gressor, he must postpone even so necessary a 
duty as that of sacrifice until the trouble is 
removed. Unless he becomes reconciled with 
the other, his offering is but an empty form 



140 LIFE AND TEACHINGS OF JESUS. 



(Mt. v: 23, 24). Even the scribe who ques- 
tioned Jesus was compelled to acknowledge 
that love is ' ' more than all whole burnt of- 
ferings and sacrifices" (Mk. xii: 33). In 
the great discourse where so many of these 
truths received their earliest statement, Jesus 
declares that in the application of this princi- 
ple of love, one must be ready to go 
further than necessity seems to require. 
Better far to overstep the line on the side of 
love to others than on that of self-interest 
(Mt. v: 38-42). Still another manifestation 
of love is to be found in that child-like spirit 
of humility which puts others before self, 
and receives with modesty and thankfulness 
the blessings which come. The little child 
was Jesus' ideal of the spirit which should 
characterize his friends. He regarded such a 
disposition of modesty and receptiveness as 
essential to entrance into the kingdom (Mt. 
xviii: 1-5; Mk. x: 13, i4), and warned the 
disciples against the self-seeking ambitions 
which would too frequently result only in 
humiliation and chagrin (L,u. xiv: 7-11). 
Such humility would save one from the spirit 
of fault-finding and censoriousness which, un- 
conscious of its own defects, sees the faults 
of others in glaring light (Mt. vii: 1-5). In 






JESUS 1 TEACHING REGARDING MAN. 141 

comparison with such a spirit, the man who is 
a sinner but conscious of it and burdened 
with his weight of sin cries out for mercy, 
shines in fair light (L,u. xviii: 9-14). These 
elements in character render a man capable 
of service in the redemptive programme of the 
kingdom. He recognizes his obligations to 
God and to his fellow men. He performs in 
a spirit of love his duties in the family, in 
society and in the state. He renders to Caesar 
the things that are Caesar's and to God the 
things that are God's (Mt. xxi: 15-22). It 
will thus be seen that Jesus says but little 
of institutional or church life, but very 
much of the spirit which should charac- 
terize his followers in every relation. 
He gave only the simplest directions re- 
garding the church which was to carry for- 
ward his work. These instructions touched 
only upon the essentials of admission. He 
gave his disciples only two ordinances, bap- 
tism and the memorial supper, and these of 
the simplest character, yet both deeply sug- 
gestive of the spirit of his work. The empha- 
sis of all his teaching was placed on the essen- 
tials of character and disposition, not on ex- 
ternal forms. The lesson of Judaism was that 
externals are too frequently substituted for 



142 LIFE AND TEACHINGS OF JESUS. 

essentials. If his disciples could be taught to 
place the emphasis on the inner life, the dis- 
position and motive, they could be trusted to 
work out their part in the salvation of the 
world. Nothing less than the highest ideal 
could be considered worthy of their effort. 
Love must be the keynote of life. They were 
to be perfect, even as their Heavenly Father 
is perfect (Mt. v: 48). 

Review: i. What was Jesus' estimate of man ? 
How did this manifest itself? How did this char- 
acteristic of Jesus compare with public thought? 
2. What bearing did this regard for man have on 
his estimate of sin? What is sin? How did Jesus 
express his conception of sin ? What was the value 
of figurative language? What was the character of 
Jesus' hope for man ? 3. In what two terms did he 
describe man's relation to God? What is man's 
highest duty? What renunciations maybe neces- 
sary? What are five of the means of keeping vital 
this relation with God. 4. With what other duty is 
love to God closely connected ? What discovery did 
Jesus make? What is the secret of right relations 
with our fellowmen ? What did Jesus say of forgive- 
ness ? What was his ideal of character ? What place 
did the institutional side of religion have in Jesus' 
thought ? What ordinances did he give the disciples ? 
How did he trust his followers? 



JESUS AND JUDAISM. 143 

CHAPTER VI. 

JESUS AND JUDAISM. 

I. Jesus was a Jew, and felt himself at 
once with his nation in all the essentials of 
their life. Their history and glory he felt to 
be his own. With the story of the past as it 
lay recorded in the Old Testament writings he 
was familiar. He regarded those Scriptures 
as the supreme religious literature of the world; 
embodying as they did the life-story of the 
people chosen to be the channel of divine com- 
munication with men. They recorded the 
struggles of the tribes for national existence, 
the slow and painful progress under prophetic 
leadership up to higher and purer levels of 
life. They contained the institutes given by 
Moses for the guidance of Israel and consti- 
tuting the regulating name of all subsequent 
legislation. They contained the memoirs and 
utterances of prophets and reformers who had 
striven to rebuke sin and bring in righteousness 
and loftier ideas of God. They contained the 
prayers, the laments, the rejoicings and the 
aspirations of generations of happy or troubled 
Israelites, living in the sunlight of prosperity, 
or perplexed bv the problems of doubt, dis- 
tress and suffering. These writiugs had been 



144 LIFE AND TEACHINGS OF JESUS. 

the study of Jesus from his youth. In the 
home life at Nazareth his mind was saturated 
with the words of holy Scriptnre and they 
came to him in every crisis of his life. Many 
of his most important savings receive their 
point by the use of some apt word of the Old 
Testament. In the time of temptation Jesus 
found an arsenal of weapons in these writings 
(Mt. iv: 4, 7, io). He was accustomed to 
refer to a saying of Hosea regarding the su- 
periority of mercy to sacrifice (Hos. vi: 6; 
cf. Mt. ix: 13; xii: 7). On many other oc- 
casions he referred to the Scriptures to enforce 
or illustrate some element in his teaching by 
the use of a quotation (Mt. xxvi: 24; Mk. xi: 
17; xiv: 27; Jn. x: 34), or by reference to 
some narrative, such as the repentance of the 
Ninevites (Mt. xii: 41), the visit of the queen 
of the south to Solomon (Mt. xii : 42), or the 
use made of the shew-bread by David in his 
flight (Mk. ii : 25). A careful study of such 
references to the Old Testament discloses the 
fact that Jesus handled this material with 
great freedom, esteeming the content of a pas- 
sage rather than the form. He appealed to 
the sacred books because he found in them 
strength and comfort, because they had great 
authority with the people to whom he spoke, 



JESUS AND JUDAISM. 145 

and because they contained the germs of his 
own teaching. But his attitude was that of 
one who remained greater than prophets or 
Scriptures and even corrected them (Mt. v: 
38, 39; Mk. x: 2-12). The Old Testament 
was the word of God to Israel but it was 
partial, not complete ; such a word as could be 
revealed through imperfect men, in prepara- 
tion for the fullness of truth in the Christ. 

2. The Jewish religion in Jesus' day, 
however, was not that of the Old Testament, 
but a development from it, beginning after the 
exile. When tbe old national spirit gave place 
in large measure to the idea of a church, proph- 
etism was superseded by scribism, collections 
of the Scriptures were made and reverence for 
them grew amazingly, while the temple, rebuilt 
upon the ruins of that of Solomon, became the 
center of Jewish thought. The old prophetic 
ideals of personal and national righteousness, 
with their protests against sacrifice or any other 
function of religion as a substitute for right 
relations with God (I Sam. xv: 22 ; Isa. i: 11- 
17; lviii : 4-7; Jer. vii: 22, 23; Hos. vi: 6; 
Amos v: 21-24; Mic. vi: 6-8) were forgotten, 
and an exaggerated emphasis was laid on the 
externals of religion such as sacrifice, Sabbath 
observance, distinctions between clean and un- 



146 LIFE AND TEACHINGS OF JESUS. 

clean food, fasting, the washing of person 
and garments, and many similar formal and 
mechanical features. All this was far removed 
from the spirit of the Old Testament law, 
which Jesus described as being summed up in 
two commands, love to God and love to man. 
But the scribes interpreted duty to God as 
consisting in these minute details of conduct 
which left one but little time or thought for the 
really large things of divine teaching. Jesus 
had little sympathy with these practices and 
more than once told the scribes that they really 
destroyed the purpose of the law by their end- 
less interpretations of it. These Jewish tradi- 
tions were no part of the real law of God and 
Jesus felt no obligation to observe them. He 
knew that they obscured the spirit of the law 
and made it more difficult for men to obey 
(Mk. vii : 1-13). Against the law itself he 
made no protest. He lived under it and rever- 
enced it. He was all his life obedient to its 
commands. He directed those who were 
healed by him to comply with its regulations 
(Mk. i: 44). He said he had not come to 
destroy the law, but fulfill it (Mt. v: 17, 18) 
that is, to bring out its true meaning, to bring 
it to perfection by showing its purpose and by 
supplying its deficiencies. But he often told 



JESUS AND JUDAISM. 147 

the disciples that unless their righteousness 
exceeded that of the scribes and Pharisees, 
who paid so much regard to formal and legal 
duties, they could not enter the kingdom (Mt. 
v: 20). 

3. The direct teaching of Jesus upon sev- 
eral of these points serves to illustrate his 
spirit as contrasted with popular Judaism. It 
must not be imagined that all the people took 
the external and mechanical view of the law 
which was prevalent. There must have been 
men of wider vision who had a truer concep- 
tion of the will of God. But the majority 
stood with the scribes in their insistence upon 
form rather than character. One of the duties 
of which much was made was sacrifice. The 
temple offerings were numerous and costly, 
and individuals were encouraged to make fre- 
quent gifts at the sanctuary. Jesus saw no 
special value in this. To him the temple was 
a house of prayer, not for the slaughter of 
beasts (Mt. xxi : 13; Mk. xi : 17). He w T as 
outraged by the traffic carried on there, and 
called it a house of merchandise and a den of 
robbers (Jn. ii: 16). He often repeated the 
words of Hosea regarding mercy as more de- 
sirable than sacrifice (Mt. ix : 13 ; xii : 7), and 
showed the uselessness of such offerings if 



148 LIFE AKD TEACHINGS OF JESUS. 



anything in the life of the worshiper was dis- 
pleasing to God (Mt. v : 23, 24). Another 
duty greatly insisted on by the Jews was Sab- 
bath observance. Not content with the sim- 
ple command to remember the day to sanctify 
it, they had collected a long list of acts which 
were prohibited on that day. Though Jesus 
was entirely loyal to the Old Testament law, 
he cared but little for scribal conceits, and 
more than once offended these men by acts of 
necessity or kindness on that day (Mt. xii : 1- 
14; Lu. xiii : 10-21). In response to their 
objections he told them first, that the law ex- 
pressly provided for acts of mercy even on 
that day (Lu. xiii: 15); second, that even a 
regulation of the sanctuary might be set aside 
in cases of necessity (Mk. ii: 25, 26); third, 
that the Sabbath was never intended to be a 
master, standing threateningly above man, 
but his servant to help him to rest (Mk. ii : 
27); and, fourth, that he was greater than the 
Sabbath and not to be bound by their rules 
(Mt. xii: 8; Lu. vi: 5). 

4. Jesus made caustic comments on some 
of the scribal regulations and their practical 
effect. Among the rules to which they paid 
great attention was the prohibition of unclean 
foods, i. e., those which did not conform to 



. 



JESUS AND JUDAISM. 149 

the legal ideas of fitness. The Old Testament 
contained the basis of this dictum (Deut. xiv: 
3-20), and the scribes enforced it with scru- 
pulous care. They prided themselves on its 
strict observance and would have been shocked 
at the thought of transgressing any fraction of 
it. No saying of Jesus was ever calculated to 
produce such consternation, therefore, as his 
quiet remark that a man was not defiled by 
what he ate, but by what he said and did (Mt. 
xv: 10-20). The disciples readily perceived 
that such words removed all restrictions regard- 
ing food (Mk. vii: 19). Of similar character 
was his criticism of their custom of evading 
filial duties. If a man's father or mother was 
dependent upon him, the commonest sense of 
justice dictated a provision for his needs. But 
the scribes permitted the evasion of this obliga- 
tion by the process of dedicating one's posses- 
sions to God. Thus a man still kept his pos- 
sessions and escaped the necessity of caring 
for his kindred upon the fiction of " Corban " 
or dedication. Of this Jesus spoke unsparingly 
as a custom which set at naught the plain com- 
mand to honor parents (Mt. xv: 1-9; Mk. vii: 
9-13). Still more severe was his stricture on 
the binding character of certain forms of oath, 
while others were considered worthless. Thus 



150 LIFE AND TEACHINGS OF JESUS. 

if a man swore by the temple, he was not obli- 
gated to keep his oath; but if by the gold of its 
adornment, he was bound. If he swore by the 
altar, the oath had no value; but if it was the 
offering upon which he took oath, then the 
affirmation was sacred. Such casuistry could 
have no value to a sound mind (Mt. xxiii: 
16-22). The only safe ground was the avoid- 
ance of all oaths, and the use of plain, honest 
speech (Mt v: 33-37). 

5. In short, Jesus judged every act by the 
motive which prompted it. Its quality could 
be determined only in that way. Any practice 
growing out of an ostentatious desire for praise 
could have no value. If a man made his 
prayers in public in order to be seen of 
men, of course he had the reward of vanity, 
but the prayer would be worthless (Mt. vi: 
5,6). The same principle held good of alms- 
giving (Mt. vi: 1-4), and fasting (Mt. vi: 16-18). 
In these acts and others of similar character 
the motive was wrong. No good could come 
from such mechanical performances Nor 
could a man be judged adequately by his ex- 
ternal life. By the interpretation of the law 
one who took human life was a murderer. But 
Jesus picked that command against murder off 
the stem of the law, and finding it like a half- 



JESUS AND JUDAISM. 151 

open bud, blew upon it until it opened into a 
full flower, disclosing at its heart the much 
deeper truth that the man who hates his brother 
is a murderer (Mt. v: 21, 22). Similar was 
his expansion of the command against lust to 
•include motive and desire (Mt. v: 27, 28). In 
such ways as these our Savior showed how 
much more radical was the type of holiness he 
demanded than that prescribed by Judaism, 
and how inefficient was the creed of the scribes 
and Pharisees to promote righteousness. Men 
who are always watching unimportant trifles 
have no time or enthusiasm for essentials (Mt. 
xxiii. 23). A tree could be known only by 
its fruits (Mt. vii: 15-20). Judaism was a fruit- 
less tree, at whose roots the axe of destruction 
was already laid (Mt. iii: 10; L,u. xxiii: 31). 



Review: i. How did Jesus feel toward his 
nation? What was his regard for the Scriptures? 
What did they contain ? How did Jesus show famil- 
iarity with them ? What are some of his references 
to the Old Testament ? Why did he so often appeal 
to it? 2. How did Judais u compare with the re- 
ligion of the prophets? Upon what did it insist? 
How did Jesus regard the Jewish traditions? How 
did Jesus intend the law to be fulfilled by him ? 3. 
Were all the Jews of Jesus' time of the same formal 
sort? What was the teaching of Judaism concern- 
ing sacrifice ? How did Jesus regard it? What did 



152 UFE AND TEACHINGS 0$ JESUS. 

the Jews teach of Sabbath observance ? How did . 
this contrast with Jesus' attitude ? What four points 
did he emphasize on the subject? 4. What did 
Jesus consider to be the effect of Jewish regulations? 
What did he say of clean and unclean food ? What 
was the practice of Corban ? How did Jesus den- 
ounce it ? What did the scribes teach concerning 
oaths? What did Jesus say on the subject? 5. By 
what standard did Jesus judge men? What was the 
contrast between the ideas of Jesus and Judaism on 
the subjects of prayer, alms-giving, and fasting? 
What deeper principle was involved in judging of 
murder and adultery ? Where did Judaism fail ? 



CHAPTER VII. 

JESUS* TEACHING ABOUT THE HOI.Y SPIRIT. 

i. The teaching of the New Testament 
concerning the Holy Spirit is so extensive 
and varied that a volume would be required to 
adequately treat of it. But upon study it is 
discovered that most of this material belongs 
to the period following the close of our Lord's, 
ministry. He promised the disciples that he 
would send to them the comforter or advocate, 
and the story of the church in the apostolic 
days is the narrative of human effort under 
the guidance of the Spirit. In the Gospels 



JESUS' TEACHING ABOUT THE HOLY SPIRIT. 153 

much less is said on the subject, but all that is 
set down is of deep interest. The term "Holy 
Spirit " is used in the Old Testament evidently 
in the sense of the divine sustaining grace. 
The psalmist cries : 

" Cast me not away from thy presence, 
And take not thy Holy Spirit from me. 

(Ps. li: it.) 

The term " Spirit of God M is used to sig- 
nify a life-giving breath (Gen. i: 2), adminis- 
trative skill (Gen. xli: 38), artistic ability (Ex. 
xxxi: 3), prophetic transport (Num. xxiv: 2), 
religious enthusiasm (ISam.x: 10) and military 
valor (I Sam. xi: 6). The expression was not 
unknown, therefore, in Jesus' day, but in his 
teaching it receives a much more definite con- 
tent, and stands for the divine Spirit in a more 
persistent and actualized form. 

2. Jesus received the Spirit of God at the 
time of his baptism (Mk. i: 9-1 1). What this 
implies the Gospels do not reveal, but that ex- 
perience marked a change in Jesus' life, the 
horizon was widened, his responsibility was 
deepened. From that time forth he was pos- 
sessed by the Spirit: He saw the vision of the 
kingdom of God in all its far-stretching beauty. 
He was filled with a new passion and a new 
power. The Spirit impelled him to depart 



154 LIFE AND TEACHINGS OF JESUS. 

into the wilderness where the battle with evil 
was fought out (Mk. i: 12). After the Judean 
ministry, Jesus came " in the power of the 
Spirit into Galilee" (I,u. iv: 14) to continue 
his work there. In the synagogue at Nazareth 
he used of himself the words of the prophet 
who spoke of the Servant of Jehovah, " The 
Spirit of the Lord is upon me" (Lu. 4: 18). 
Believing thus in the divine character of the 
impulse by which he was animated, he resented 
with indignation the charge of the Pharisees 
that he was in league with Beelzebub to cast 
out demons. He not only showed the foolish 
character of such a charge, but declared that 
the sin of imputing to the divine Spirit the 
characteristics of false gods, and thus resisting 
the light and grace of his message was a sin 
that remained unpardoned. Such men rejected 
the testimony of the Spirit regarding Jesus, 
and so made it impossible for any means of 
salvation to reach them (Mk. iii: 22-30 ) 

3. In his teaching Jesus often spoke of 
the Spirit. To Nicodemus he declared that a 
man must be born of water and the Spirit in 
order to enter the kingdom (Jn. iii : 5). No 
fleshly birth could bring him into this rela- 
tion, but a spiritual birth, or regeneration 
wrought by faith in Jesus and brought to its 



JESUS' TEACHING ABOUT THE HOLY SPIRIT. 155 

consummation and manifestation in baptism, is 
essential to discipleship. Of such a birth the 
Spirit is the author. In harmony with this 
the Spirit is named with the Father and Son 
in the baptismal formula (Mt. 28: 19). Jesus 
taught that God is ever ready to impart his 
Spirit to his children, more willing than earth- 
ly parents to give good gifts (Lu. n: 13). In 
the closing hours of his life Jesus spoke to the 
disciples of his impending departure. He 
knew that as long as he remained w r ith them 
they would wait for him to lead in every en- 
terprise. Their boldness and independence 
would come only after Jesus was no longer in 
their midst. The most important theme of 
that long conversation held with them after 
the celebration of the memorial supper was 
the "otherself " he was to send them. He 
would not leave them alone, but it was better 
that he should go away. The Spirit which 
had been in him, and was therefore with them 
then, should come in his name, He would be 
a second advocate, filling the place which 
Jesus had occupied in their minds. In this 
sense Jesus said, " I come unto you," (Jn. xiv: 
18). He proposed to be with them as truly as 
before, but not in visible form. His spiritual 
presence they should realize, and enjoy in even 



156 LIFE AND TEACHINGS OF JESUS. 

richer measure than they had prized his bodily 
presence while with them in the flesh. The 
Spirit would be their teacher, and would re- 
mind them of Jesus' words (Jn. xiv: 26). He 
was to bear witness of Jesus (Jn. xv: 26) and 
his nature guaranteed the trustworthiness of 
the witness, for he is the Spirit of truth going 
forth from the Father. He is, through the 
Gospel, to convict the world of its sin, con- 
vince it of the righteousness of Jesus, and 
forewarn it of impending judgment (Jn. 
xvi: 8- 11). Thus he would carry on the 
ministry which Jesus began, giving to him 
the glory of the whole enterprise of redemp- 
tion (Jn. xvi: 14). For the coming of the 
Spirit Jesus promised the disciples he would 
pray the Father (Jn. xiv: 16). Thus he gave 
his disciples assurance that they and all future 
believers should receive the Holy Spirit, not 
as a mechanical bestowment, but as a gracious 
impartation, entering the soul in just so far as 
room is given. But once received, new powers 
and capacities grow under his gracious pres- 
ence, until the purpose of the Master is real- 
ized in the possession of his mind and purpose, 
his Spirit indeed, by the believer. 

4. After the resurrection Jesus appeared 
to the ten disciples in a room in Jerusalem, 



JESUS' TEACHING ABOUT THE HOLY SPIRIT. 157 

and in token of his desire that they should be 
filled with his thought and love he breathed 
upon them, and said " Receive } 7 e the Holy- 
Spirit M (Jn. xx : 22). This significant act was 
the fuller expression of his will that they 
should be empowered to do his work, for he 
told them that they should receive power 
when the spirit came upon them (Acts i: 8), 
and should be his witnesses through widening 
circles to distant lands. How these promises 
were fulfilled the subsequent narratives of the 
New Testament show. The apostles, clothed 
with power, went forth to the spiritual con- 
quest of the world; and Christians of every 
race and age have rejoiced in the indwelling, 
comforting and guiding presence of the Holy 
Spirit in their hearts and in the church, a pres- 
ence which is the greatest need of both indi- 
vidual and church to-day. 

Review: i. Which portion of the New Testa- 
ment treats most fully of the work of the Holy 
Spirit? In what sense are the terms "Holy Spirit," 
and "spirit of God" used in the Old Testament? 2. 
Name the manifestations of the Spirit in Jesus' life. 
What did he claim at Nazareth ? What is the nature 
of the unpardoned sin? 3. What did Jesus mean by 
the birth of water and the Spirit? How may we re- 
ceive the Holy Spirit ? Why did Jesus deem it best 
to leave the disciples? What did he promise? In 



158 LIFE AND TEACHINGS OF JESDS. 

what sense would he come to them ? What was the 
Spirit to do? 4. What was the significance of 
Jesus* breathing upon the disciples ? What did he 
tell them ? What is the greatest need to-day ? 



CHAPTER VIII. 

JESUS' TEACHING REGARDING THE FUTURE. 

1. In the course of his teachings Jesus 
frequently referred to the future and thus fur- 
nished materials for a doctrine of the last 
things, or perhaps more correctly, coming 
things. One of the most notable of our Lord's 
discourses, recorded in all three of the synop- 
tic Gospels, deals with this theme (Mt. xxiv, 
xxv; Mk. xiii ; Lu. xxi) . Jesus never inclined 
to the discussion of questions relating to 
times and seasons (Actsi: 7), and even dis- 
claimed knowledge regarding them (Mt. xxiv : 
36), but of the general features of the coming 
age he spoke more than once. 

2. It will be remembered that the leading 
doctrine of the prophets was the ' ' day of the 
Lord," a time of judgment upon sin, and that 
John the Baptist had grouped much of his 
teaching about this prophetic theme, warning 



JESUS' TEACHING REGARDING THE FUTURE. 159 

his hearers of impending judgments (Mt. iii: 
7-12). This idea also appears in Jesus' teach- 
ing. He speaks repeatedly of "that day," 
" the last day, "not in the sense of an exactly 
foreseen period, but in the prophetic sense of a 
time somewhere in the future, when sin will 
be crushed and virtue rewarded. This idea 
took still more definite form in Jesus' teaching 
owing to his clear perception of the fate which 
was hanging over Jerusalem. He saw that 
within a few years at furthest the Roman 
armies w 7 ould invest the city and bring it and 
the Jewish nation to the earth. Therefore the 
disciples, impressed by hints which he had 
dropped, asked him to speak more fully on the 
subject of his manifestation* to the world 
(Mk. xiii: 3-4). 

Then Jesus delivered that remarkable dis- 
course which has been appropriately called 
the " synoptic apocalypse." He told them 
there w T ould be wars, and false leaders should 
arise in his name; that the disciples ought to 
escape when they saw the approach of danger ; 
that severe persecution would be the lot of 
many of them, for his sake; but that those 



♦The word rendered "coming" in Mt. xxiv : 3 means "presence," 
and should be thus rendered here and in many similar texts. It has 
the dea of revelation or disclosure of that what is near but unseen, 
rather than of the arrival of what is distant, 



160 LIFE AND TEACHINGS OF JESUS. 

who endured should be saved. He then refers 
in still more explicit terms to the E.oman oc- 
cupation of Jerusalem, under the figures of 
the Maccabean persecution by Antiochus 
Epiphanes, referred to in the book of Daniel 
as the abomination of desolation. Then in 
well-known apocalyptic symbols of falling 
stars and darkened heavens he speaks of politi- 
cal revolutions, and immediately adds, "And 
then shall they see the Son of man coming in 
clouds with great power and g1 ory " ( M k . xiii : 
26). It is evident that Jesus is here describing 
the fall of Jerusalem as the opportunity for 
his own manifestation in greater power, and a 
fresh stage in the growing kingdom of heaven. 
If the language of Mk. xiii: 24-27 seems at 
first to refer more appropriately to the distant 
future and some final catastrophe in the history 
of the world, it must be remembered (a) that 
Jesus used precisely this language in address- 
ing the high priest a few days later, saying 
that " henceforth,* ' i.e. from that time for- 
ward continuously this should be the case (Mt. 
xx vi: 63,64), and (b) that directly after de- 
scribing his coming in the clouds, he adds, 
" This generation shall not pass away till all 
these things be fulfilled" (Mk. xiii: 30). In 
the narrative in I^uke these events are the 



JESUS' TEACHING REGARDING THE FUTURE. 161 

tokens that the "kingdom of God is nigh.' ' 
(IvU. xxi: 31). 

3. It thus seems probable that through- 
out the entire discourse Jesus is referring to 
the coming national distress as a moment of 
crisis in the history of the kingdom. The fall 
of Jerusalem and the great persecution at Rome 
constituted as we know, a most important 
chapter in the history of the church. Jesus 
then went on to speak of the need of watch- 
fulness. Like a thief stealing in unseen the 
day of opportunity for the kingdom might 
come and be lost if the disciples did not watch. 
The parable of the ten virgins (Mt. xxv: in) 
emphasized the need of preparation as well as 
watchfulness; that of the talents (Mt. xxv: 
14-30) the need of industry. Then comes the 
grand picture of judgment (Mt. xxv: 31-46). 
This again brings in the glory of the Son of 
man with his attendant angels, and describes 
that continous function of judgment which 
began with his earthly life and grows more 
wide in extent through the ages till the final 
judgment of which it is the prophecy. The 
character of the judgment is two-fold. The 
servants of the king are judged according to 
their faithfulness in service; those from out- 
side by their fidelity to their own ideals of 



162 LIFE AND TEACHINGS OF JESUS. 

mercy and humanity. The rewards to the 
approved in both cases are in keeping with 
their character and deserts. Thus the office 
of Jesus as a judge is set forth in graphic form. 
That function he is evermore performing. 
Every day is a day of judgment. Every mo- 
ment decides destiny. 

4. It is also true that the crisis of falling 
Judaism serves as a type of every subsequent 
crisis, and of that final closing crisis of the 
ages. The pictures which had a local and 
immediate significance may be fitted to the 
larger frame of universal history and the end 
of the ages. Then, too, that function of judg- 
ment, of division, of assigning destinies in 
accordance with character, must be performed. 
Each must go to his own place, to the com- 
pany for which his character fits him. From 
that assembly none may remain away. "Mar- 
vel not at this, for the hour cometh when all 
who are in their graves shall hear his voice 
and shall come forth- They that have done 
good unto the resurrection of life. They 
that have done evil unto the resurrection of 
judgment " (Jn. v: 28, 29). Of the life beyond 
the flesh we catch but hints in the Scriptures. 
No programme of its activities has been 
issued. Our Savior intended we should con- 






JESUS' TEACHING REGARDING THE FUTURE. 163 

cern ourselves with the making of character 
and trust to our Father the plan of the life to 
be. It is enough that we have his words %l In 
my Father's house are many mansions. If it 
were not so I would have told you. I go to 
prepare a place for you. And if I go and 
prepare a place for you, I will come again 
and receive you unto myself, that where I am 
there ye may be also" ( Jn. xiv: 1-3). 

Review : 1. Did Jesus often discuss the 
future? What did he say of his own knowledge ? 2. 
What w T as an important doctrine of prophecy ? How 
did Jesus refer to it in his teaching? With what 
coming disaster did it connect itself? What is meant 
by the manifestation of Jesus ? What are the leading 
ideas in the synoptic apocalypse ? To what did he 
refer in the expression the coming of the Son of 
man? What seems to indicate that an event in the 
near future w 7 as intended? 3. What events consti- 
tuted the first crisis of the church after Pentecost? 
What parables and narratives refer to this event? 
What two standards of judgment are there ? Who is 
the judge? 4. How did the crisis of that age rep- 
resent others vet to come ? What does Jesus say of 
the final resurrection and judgment ? Of the future 
of the righteous ? 



Bibliography. 



HARMONIES. 

Stevens & Burton ; A Harmony of the Gospels. (Silver, Bur- 
dett& Co., Boston.) 

Robinson ; Harmony of the Gospels. * 

THE TIMES OF JESUS. 

Edersheim ; Life and Times of Jesus, the Messiah. (2 vols. 
Randolph & Co., New York.) 

Schuerer ; The Jewish People in the Times of Jesus Christ. (5 
vols. Randolph & Co., New York.) 

Stopfer ; Palestine in the Time of Jesus. 

Fisher ,' Beginnings of Christianity. (Scribners, New York.) 

Edersheim ; Sketches of Jewish Social Life. 

Seidel ; In the Time of Jesus. 

Geikie ; Life and Words of Christ. 

THE LIFE OF JESUS. 

Stalker ; The Life of Christ. (T. & T. Clark, Edinburgh.) 

Weiss ; Life of Christ. (3 vols. T. & T. Clark, Edinburgh.) 

Neander ; Life of Jesus Christ. (Bohn Standard Library.) 

Andrews ,' Life of Our Lord. (Scribners, New York.) 

Farrar ; The Life of Christ. 

Gilbert ,' The Student's Life of Jesus. 

Liddon ; Our Lord's Divinity. (Rivingtons, London.) 

Seeley ; Ecce Homo. 

THE TEACHINGS OF JESUS. 

Robinson ; Our Lord's Teaching. (Randolph & Co., New York.) 

Stalker ; Imago Christi. (Armstrongs, New York.) 

Bruce ,* The Parabolic Teaching of Our Lord. (Scribners, New 
York.) 

Bruce ; The Kingdom of God. (Scribners, New York.) 
Wendt; The Teaching of Jesus. (2 vols. T. & T. Clark, 
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Hinsdale ; Jesus as a Teacher. (Christian Pub. Co., St. Louis.) 



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